Arabelle Arakataran and the New Generation
by Precious Roses
Summary: They made their bets. They fought their battles. Their children are left with the ashes. Arabelle Arakataran is about to go on the ride of her life with her friends, as a new threat arises, and the oracle must be taken to a specific spot to issue the next Great Prophecy. Something is stirring, and this time it isn't Percy Jackson and his friends who fight. It's their children.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

 **The Ending of an Age**

The setting sun cast a golden glow across the twilit waters. The brilliance, the radiance of the sun was strange, the man on the dock thought, leaning out on the railing to look down into the water. So strange. It symbolized brightness, hope, rebirth, but now is seemed to hail the end. The ashes.

They had played with the matches.

They had made all their bets.

Their luck had run dry.

Now, they had to deal with the ashes.

More accurately, _he_ and a few of his select friends had to pick up all the pieces, and try to put something back together out of it. Things were looking pretty bad. Out of college was good – life was going great until… bam! Another enemy, another problem. There was always another problem.

She had said that she was _Ῥέα._ She had said that some final doom was coming. Of course, like always, the heroes had come and they had defeated her, forcing her back to join her family at the bottom of Tartarus. However, the losses had been so great.

In the very first battle, some of the man's dearest friends had been cut down. In the aftermath, he had watched as families were broken apart, as fathers and mothers wailed over lost children, and as people were scarred. The attack had been devastating. His home was in flames, and everything that he had built over the years had come tumbling down before his eyes. That was what _she_ had said would happen. The enemy had told him that this war would hurt. She had been right about that, at least.

The war had raged on. He had lost so many friends along the way. His own family had even been destroyed as his very own mother was killed. Now, his step-father was struggling to live alone, the love of his life gone. The man on the docks almost knew what that felt like. He'd nearly lost his love.

They had won. They had beaten this new threat, but not before countless others were injured, burned or scarred. But the man on the docks felt like it hadn't been finished then. Something else would go wrong.

"You thinking again?" The voice issued from behind the man. He turned around, and gave a faint smile to his fiancée. In the sunset, her already blonde hair was glowing like heated gold. She, wrapped in a grey wool blanket, came over and offered some of her covering to him. Gladly, he took it and pulled the blanket around his shoulders.

"Of course. You know me, always thinking." The man said, glancing down at the waters. They were choppy, uneven as the waves crashed against the wooden pillars holding the dock out of the water. The woman swatted at him.

"Thinking is _my_ job, Seaweed Brain. Come on now, tell me what about. I won't laugh at you, though I think I already know where your mind is. You should stop thinking about it." She took his hand and squeezed it.

"I _can't_!" He exclaimed, bursting out suddenly. So many people had told him that. The final battle between good and evil had only been a few weeks ago, and ever since then, the man's mind had never been away from it. He couldn't believe that they had conquered the threat, but at such a cost. He had been in many battles before. He'd lost friends before. But this was painful. It cut him right to the core. It scared him, because the lady that they had been fighting against knew exactly which buttons to push to make him mad.

"Why not?" The woman challenged, giving him a hard look for his outburst. He sighed, and massaged his temples.

"I don't know – whatever _Ῥέα_ said to me, it always made me mad, it always troubled me. I can't get it out of my mind. It's been bothering me ever since the battle." He said. She rested her head on his shoulder, and stared out at the setting sun.

"You let her get to you. That's not good." She murmured.

"Maybe I'm just out of practice. It's been five years since we started college in New Rome. I haven't been keeping up with practicing my witty banter or my snarky remarks for monsters. Maybe that's it." He replied.

"Or maybe you've been thinking about this too much. Did I actually just say that? _Di Immortales_ , I never thought I'd say that." She cracked up, and buried her face in his sleeve. She hitched the blanket up around her shoulders. The man gave her a terse look.

"I'm trying to be serious here!" he complained.

" _And_ you're being serious too? What are you going to do, propose to marry me? News flash, Seaweed Brain, you already did that – over a _grave_. What was it you said: 'This has made me realize how short life is'?" The man couldn't help but crack a smile at the memory of it. He put his arm around her shoulder.

"Come on, I'm serious too. I don't think this is the end. And look at all the destruction this war caused…" He bit his lip hard, "It caused so much damage."

"Then we'll rebuild. If it's one thing we're good at, it's rebuilding. We'll build something… permanent. Something that we can live with for the rest of our lives. If you are going to be my husband, you may as well get your sense of humor back. That's half the fun." The blonde grinned. The man cracked another smile, and then leaned down and gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead.

"We seem to be getting pretty good at rebuilding things. But if you're going to design a house…" He trailed off, lost in thought again.

"You're thinking this isn't over, aren't you?" She asked, looking up at him. The sun had nearly sunken completely below the horizon, making the water seem blood red in the light. The man pulled the woman close to him and gave her another kiss on the forehead, before staring out to see.

"I know it isn't over." He told her.

"This is the ending of an age, Percy. The gods told me so. This is the end of our battles. We can live happily, have children, send them to Camp Half Blood… Rachel even said that we wouldn't be fighting any more wars. We're safe." She spoke.

"We're far from safe." The man said. He watched as the final rays of light from the sun disappeared, and night closed in. He knew it in his heart. It was almost like a sixth sense. They were definitely far from safe. This was Percy Jackson and soon to be Annabeth Jackson – the last fighters for a destroyed demigod world. The age may be ending, but whenever one age ends, another one begins.


	2. Chapter 1

Chapter One

In Which A New Age Begins

Four Years Ago

 _Truth. Can't avoid it. Can't deny it. And it_ _ **always**_ _comes out eventually. You can try to run, you can try to hide, but it will find you, it will haunt you, and it will hurt you. You have to learn this the hard way. I learned this the hard way. I'm not giving up on it, but truth is still haunting me like some crazy god with revenge issues (Nemesis, maybe, dear?). My name is Arabelle Arakataren, and truth found me._

Arabelle Arakataren pushed her sleeves up on her long sleeve pink t-shirt (the one with the rainbow and unicorn design of the front), and plunged her hands into the bucket of water. It was cold. Great. Ten year old Arabelle, or Belle, as she most commonly liked to be called, fished around in the water, searching for the dishes at the bottom. It was her job to do the dishes while her father was on a date with his fiancée, Lilah Forks, the window display designer for one of the Macy's stores in Cincinnati. At least it avoided her getting baby-sitted by Janice Bloom, the annoying teenager down the street.

Belle finally found was she was looking for in the bottom of the tub of water and triumphantly pulled out a plate. It was plain white, with little green vines and leaves twisting around the edge. Edmund Arakataren has told Belle that her mother has picked them out when they had been dating. He'd always kept them, despite the fact Lilah hated the plates.

Belle loved Lilah. She was fun, happy, cheerful, caring, everything that Belle imagined her mother like. She couldn't remember her mother, and honestly, Edmund didn't talk about it much. He told her about how she'd been dumped into his arms across a fast-food counter, where her mother has said goodbye, and told him that his life was about to change – forever. He always got misty-eyed when he talked about the mysterious woman, even now that he was engaged to be married to Lilah. Arabelle was pleased that he was going to marry Lilah.

Before Lilah, he had dated a Middle-Eastern woman named Sahar, who had a bad habit of pinching Belle on the arm whenever the little girl did something bad. Lilah, who was Taiwanese, simply gave her a scolding and occasionally told her to go and sit in the corner. It was refreshing.

Arabelle picked up the yellow scrubby and rubbed it across the surface of the plate, not really paying attention to what she was doing. She stared out the kitchen window at the streets. They'd lived in an apartment ever since their house in Chicago had burned in a fire. Belle didn't mind. Well, not that much.

She was complete zoned out, her mind following the course of the book she was listening to on tape currently (Redwall, by Brian Jacques) when she suddenly focused on something outside, standing before the tree in the park across the road. It was strange looking, possibly the strangest thing that she had ever seen. Belle recalled seeing something semi-similar on one of her father's trips to Egypt. He had called it a Sphynx. This creature had the body of a bird, but heavy claws. The face was female, but it was a very ugly woman with a long, pointed nose. It was staring at her across the street, its eyes glowing yellow. That was odd.

Wait no - that was bad. Very, very bad.

Somehow, her instincts told her that whatever that creature was, it wasn't good, and it was hunting _her_. But who would hunt a ten year old girl, and why?

Belle dropped the plate she was washing back into the dishwater with a loud thump and splash. Suddenly, she felt very, very alone, and very, very scared. Her heart was racing against her ribs like it was trying to escape. Her breath caught in her throat. What was it? It wasn't a Sphynx, because the body wasn't that of a lion. She searched her head, but she couldn't remember very many monsters that had bird bodies.

That was when the bird-woman decided to flap her way across the street. Arabelle was surprised that no one noticed the bird-woman, but the family on the sidewalk (a mother and her two little children) who were walking their dog, didn't even seem to notice anything out of the ordinary. Then again, it was Cincinnati.

Belle sprinted from the kitchen and down the steps to the door, which she checked was locked and bolted with the deadbolt. She wished she could do more. Instead, she turned and ran back to the kitchen to get some sort of weapon. A knife? Good. She grabbed her father's favorite ceramic knife, and then turned and fled up the stairs to her room, ignoring the fact one should never run with the knife. She burst into her room, which was painted pale pink and lavender, with a loft bed pushed against one wall, a dresser near the base of the bed, and several boxes of toys tucked underneath, and ran for her dresser to hide.

That was when she heard the door explode into the apartment.

She would have screamed, but she clamped her hand over her mouth and clutched the knife until her knuckles turned white. What was going on? When she had woken up this morning, she thought it was going to be another day in her life, but now… what was happening?

"Where are you, little girl?" The voice was like sand rushing over stones, a dry, hissing like sound. It was gentle, but it carried up the stairs to Arabelle's room. She whimpered. Why was this happening? Her heart was beating so fast, she could have sworn the bird-woman could hear it downstairs.

"You can run, but you can't hide forever. I can still smell you!" The voice cooed, "Come out, and your death with me painless and quick, relatively." The bird-woman cackled a dry, gusty laugh. _She's here to kill me? Why?_ Belle thought. She felt tears pricking at her eyes, she was so scared. It was like when the gunmen had come into the mall in Cairo, trying to cause a hostage situation. Arabelle didn't remember the details, but she remembered her father curling around her in a ball to protect her. Only now, Edmund wasn't there to protect her. Belle was on her own.

She took several steadying breaths. She wasn't going to let this woman scare her. She hated bullies, and this was just a bully. She had to stand up to it.

"I'm up here!" She called, pushing out of the wardrobe and hiding the knife behind her back. She tried to keep the quaver out of her voice as she said this, but she failed to keep her knees from knocking together.

"So, the prey reveals itself to the hunter… interesting." The creature below called. Belle gritted her teeth, trying to think of a good comeback. Sadly, most rational thought had deserted her at that point.

"What makes you think that you're the hunter? You know I could beat you easily! I'm trained in… hapkido!" She threatened. It sounded weak, even to her own ears, and she scuffed the floor with her foot. Worst comeback ever. Besides, she doubted the bird-woman even knew what hapkido was. A little known martial art, originally from Korea, Belle attended classes twice a week for it. It fit in with her homeschooled schedule.

"The prey also makes jokes. How amusing." The bird-woman cawed in that tone of voice that adults use when they don't think something is amusing at all, but they're just humoring you to make you feel good. Belle had learned to detect that tone long ago, when her father had been dating Sahar. Then, the door to Belle's room was slowly opened, reavealing the bird-woman.

"What d'you want?" Belle demanded, pulling the knife from behind her back and brandishing it at the bird-woman. The monster looked completely unconcerned by the arrival of the weapon, and didn't even spare it a glance.

"You shouldn't have revealed yourself, prey. You think your end will be quick? I doubt that! Never trust a Harpy, they're never true to their word!" The bird-woman, a Harpy, giggled. She lunched forward, and her talons that were on her feet suddenly seemed very sharp and very threatening. Belle made a wild cut with the knife, aiming for the head. The knife though, simply bounced off the Harpy's head. The vibrations caused by it made Belle's hands numb, but at least the monster seemed confused by the attack. Taking this moment of opportunity, Belle darted past the Harpy and sprinted downstairs turning and chucking the knife behind her as she went. It bounced off again, but served to disorient the bird-woman further.

She reached the kitchen, and continued down to the door. It was leaning up against the stairs, creating a short slope to the sidewalk. Belle took one glance behind her, heard the cawing and screeching of the Harpy and slid out onto the concrete.

Her head was spinning and she felt like she was going to be ill. What was happening? Was she hallucinating?

"Help! Help?" she cried out, surprised to find her voice cracking like she was losing it. She wondered if she'd just been screaming. Had she been? She didn't recall. She clenched her fists. She wasn't going to be the victim. No, no, no! She got to her feet, glancing behind her again. The Harpy was coming down the stairs towards the doorway. Belle took a deep breath and started running down the street as fast as she could, dead out sprint, breakneck pace.

The running didn't last for long. Soon she felt someone grab ahold of her hair and yank her back to the pavement hard. The Harpy had caught up with her. Arabelle wondered what the people around her saw. Surely something? No one who was walking down the street seemed to notice anything, but there weren't that many people around. The Harpy extended one claw towards her, hissing.

"So, the prey ran, but the prey never escapes. The hunter merely gets the enjoyment of the Hunt!" The Harpy cried. Desperately, Belle kicked and squirmed, trying to get away. She had to get away… and that was when the strangest thing happened. The Harpy, who had been bearing down on her, was buffeted aside by a blast of pearly white fog, leaving Belle lying on the ground, staring at what she had done. Had she done that? She looked around, but no one confirmed or denied that anything had happened. What was going on that no one could see but her? Was she becoming delusional?

Belle didn't waste any time. She had flipped onto her feet again like a gymnast and was off and running as fast as her short legs could carry her. Belle had always been short. She'd been an abnormally small baby, and was an abnormally small child. Edmund sometimes even said she'd grow into an abnormally small adult. Figures. At least she was tall enough not to be a midget.

The Harpy used wings to right itself and flew after Belle. Panting now, Belle was easy to catch up to, and was dragged down again. Once more, those sharp claws were bearing down on her, hissing and spitting. Then, the horn sounded sharply through the air. It was a hunting horn, Belle had heard the blown before on her travels with her father, but this one was clear, like a pure music note. Then, a silver arrow shot out from the park, impaling one of the Harpy's wings, and against a tree a girl in silver camo materialized from nowhere it seemed. Next to her, a man in a Rasta Cap, a bright orange t-shirt and baggy jeans was standing, holding a pipe to his lips. A few clear notes sounded, and the Harpy was suddenly jerked away from Belle and thrown across the street.

"What-" Arabelle asked, getting to her feet and brushing her hands off on her jeans. The girl, who carried a silver bow and wore a silver tiara on her brow, notched an arrow and fired. It hit the Harpy between the eyes, and she burst apart into a pile of gold dust. Belle stared at the girl, afraid she was about to meet the same untimely fate, but she and the man rushed across the tree. The man walked funny.

"So, this is the one?" the girl said, motioning to Belle. She had short and spiky black hair, a sprinkling of freckles across her nose, and bright, electric blue eyes. She wore a black t-shirt with a parka over it despite the warm weather, camo hunting pants and carried a quiver of arrows and a bow.

"Smells like her. Hey, what's your name?" The man asked, smiling at her. He offered her his hand, and Belle, reluctantly, took it and allowed him to pull her to her feet unsteadily.

"Belle. Belle Arakataren." She murmured, staring with large eyes at both the man and the girl. The girl had to be fifteen, sixteen at most, and the man maybe in his mid-twenties*.

"I'm Grover Underwood. This is Thalia Grace," the man told her, "We're here to help. We from a place from Camp Half Blood." Belle couldn't resist the urge to snort.

"Huh, racist much?" she asked rudely. Grover and Thalia looked at each other, and then a grin split Thalia's solemn face. She looked at Belle, and gave her a pat on the shoulder.

"I like you already." She spoke. Arabelle smirked.

"You need to be serious about this, Belle." Grover said, ignoring both Thalia's and Arabelle's comment. He put his hand firmly on her shoulder and steered her back towards the apartment. In a bit of a daze, Belle moved along with it.

"Serious about it, right. There's nothing like an attack from, I don't know, a psychotic bird-woman to make you go all serious like!" Belle suddenly cried, raising her voice. Thalia winced, and then shrugged her shoulders.

"She's taking it better than Carmen did. Granted, Carmen was eight, but I remember her kicking and screaming and complaining and saying it wasn't so, that monsters weren't real," Thalia pointed out, "But, now, Belle, we have a big bombshell for you. Have you ever known your mother?" She asked.

"No." Belle replied automatically. She'd been asked this question many, many times. Teachers, friends, students, Lilah's family, her father's co-workers, et cetera had all asked the same question. The response had become programmed into her brain so she barely had to think about it.

"What was her name?" Thalia continued along the line of questions. This was something that had been asked before, and Belle had always lied about it. She'd said her mother's name was Heidi Turk, a woman from the Upper East Side of Manhattan. But the truth was that Belle didn't know. Edmund had never told her, despite her pestering. She looked down at the sidewalk, ashamed.

"I have no idea." She muttered. She didn't lie, she didn't try to hide it from these people. Something told her it would be bad if she tried to.

"You have no idea because… because she was a goddess, Belle. A Greek goddess. And you're a demigod." Grover said, his grip turning to iron on her shoulder.

 **Footnotes:**

 ***Satyrs don't age as fast as humans, as revealed in the Lightning Thief, when Grover mentions it to Percy. Percy, Annabeth and the others are all considerably older, in their late thirties to early forties.**

 **I will try to update at least by next Sunday.**

 **Until then,**

 _ **PR**_


	3. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

In Which Roman-Vanilla-Coffee-Girl Ruins Breakfast

 _Did I just call those Roman's idiots? Well, I apologize. Actually, I don't. I hate them. Paris joins me in it, at least. Then again, she agrees with pretty much what I say… she's pretty big eyed and innocent sometimes, but I still love her to death. She's wonderful. Anyway, but the idiot Romans are coming to Camp Half Blood. Despite the fact that the prejudices are gone, I still hate them. They're still arrogant, pretty much losing a war against the Greeks didn't take down their egos much. Figures._

Arabelle had a habit of sleeping with one eye open. Not literally, of course, completely figuratively. She'd always thought that sleeping with one eye open literally was slightly creepy. Her stepmother, Lilah, did it sometimes. But at the same time, Belle was a light sleeper, and she wished she could sleep with her eyes open. Maybe it would stop Paul from taking a spider and putting it on her pillow (which Belle was terrified of), or Silena giving her a toothpaste mustache. Probably not. The only reason she didn't wake up with something horrifying wrong with her face every morning was the fact that her cabin counselor, Kendra had enchanted the door into the Hecate Cabin so that only Hecate campers could go through without special permission. It was modeled after the barrier surrounding the camp.

All the same, it didn't always stop Paul, who could fast talk his way into the Cabin. Apparently, it hadn't stopped him today, for Belle awoke to find a large, hairy spider next to her head on the pillow, and Paul leaning over her a huge grin on his face. When Belle screamed, she swore Paul was going to keel over and die from laughter.

"Jackson!" She shrieked as he picked up the spider in his hand without even flinching away from it, "How many times have I told you that… that…" Paul had stuck the spider in her face again, and she shuddered away, pulling her covers over her head.

"Yes, Cinnamon, I know how many times you've told me to keep the spider away from you, three hundred forty-seven and counting, but the scream is always priceless. Come on, what are you afraid of? Sally is just a sun spider." Paul said pulling Arabelle's blankets completely off of her and dropping them on the floor. Belle winced. She was a bit of a neat freak, and Paul was a little bit of a slob at times.

"I still can't get over the fact you named your spider after your _grandmother._ Creepy much?" Belle asked, offering out her hand. Paul took it and pulled her out of bed. She didn't entirely mind letting him see her in her pajamas. They were best friends pretty much, and it _was_ his shirt after all, and a pair of baggy, self-made pink pants with daisies on them. She had stolen the shirt while on a family visit there once, when she had been dripping wet. Paul had demanded it back, but she'd kept it. It smelled like campfire smoke and oranges, and it made her not miss him too much when he went to Camp Jupiter for the winter.

Belle was a year round camper, she didn't like leaving it. She'd go back to her home in Cincinnati every Christmas, and she sent her family letters, but she didn't want to endanger them. After the whole Harpy incident as a child, she'd been reluctant to spend much time with her family. She didn't want to end up hurting four year old Ruthie, or three year old Dawn – Lilah and her father's kids.

"It's not creepy, just weird." Paul said, glancing down at the spider he held in his hand. Spiders made Belle's skin crawl. She'd been scared of them ever since she was a little girl, and she hated them with a burning passion. Anything with more than four legs was just wrong.

"You're weird," she muttered grumpily, picking up her comforter. She glanced around the Cabin. She was alone. Being late winter, edging on spring, most of the Hecate campers had gone home. They'd be back soon. Kendra was the only one who stayed year round with her, and she was always leaving and reentering camp on "business in Olympus". Although Belle had never been to Olympus herself (Only the counselors and Chiron were allowed to go, along with Mr. D), she'd had dreams about it. The thing was, demigods had the ability to have dreams about real events – Belle especially. Her mother was considered the goddess of prophecy, so Belle dreamt of fragmented glimpses of the future. It was annoying. It was also why she was such a light sleeper. Anyway, Kendra had probably stayed overnight in Manhattan.

"The pot calls the kettle black." Paul chuckled. Belle noticed that he gave his old shirt a sideways, regretful glance. She fisted it in her hand, and gave him a sour look.

"You do realize that's racist, right?" she challenged. Paul made a sort of 'pffft!' sound, and shook his head.

"It's not racist if both of them are black. It's only racist is the pot or the kettle is white and the other is black. Or Asian, or Indian or whatever. You get my point." Paul stated. Belle started on making her bed, laying her comforter across it, shaking out her pillow to make sure Paul hadn't put Sally II (his other spider) in it, and tucking the over sheet under the mattress.

"You realize we're both white, right?" Belle asked as she lofted the comforter into the air and let it descend in slow motion over the bed. Paul watched her with one eye narrowed oddly at her. He shook his head.

"Yeah, but I'm Asian on the inside." Paul replied, setting Sally on his shoulder. Belle shuddered. She really hated spiders.

"You know what," she said with an exasperated sigh, "Let's move on. How did you get in here anyway? Kendra made it so no one could come through the door without express permission." She demanded in a rather lame attempt to change the subject. Paul chuckled, something he did a lot, and moved around Belle bed to help her tuck the comforter under the mattress.

"I came through the window. You know, Kendra didn't enchant those. If she had, you would have heard me screaming because of the stupid electric shock." Paul spoke.

"Oh, right. Cecil teach you that one? Hermes' kids know all the ways into different places." Belle snickered. Hermes' descendants were her best friends, she had spent three years living in their Cabin year round. That was her home, not this place. Hecate Cabin was sure nice, but it wasn't home. The walls were a light cream, but were covered in pictures of the camper's family, plastered across all of the walls except for one. That wall had a large blackboard on it with spell ideas, inspirational/Shakespearian quotes ("Life is a cabaret!" All the world's a stage; And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts,..") That one almost blank wall had a long, light wooded table containing a little fountain for Iris Messaging, a bowl enchanted by Hecate to allow her children to scry other locations, and a magic mirror (From Hecate, again). Most of the beds were bunk beds, but a few were just plain, and Belle had the privilege of getting one of these beds. A door led off into the bathroom.

"Jupiters are coming today." Paul muttered, glancing out the window that was above Belle's bunk. Along the windowsill, there was a glass unicorn, and several other trinkets from her old life. Her wood and tile jewelry box also rested on the sill. A dream catcher was tacked onto it with a thumbtack. Belle honestly didn't believe in mortal superstitions, but she wished so hard sometimes too get away from the bad dreams she was okay with looking like an idiot. She was glad Paul hadn't come through that particular window.

"I know. I'm glad you got to come back early and hang with me. I've only got Paris, Cecelia and a few others to spend time with, so you showed up just in time," Belle told him, "By the way, why do they have to come here in the summertime? I don't like it when they're here. I still don't trust them."

"You weren't even around when the war happened, Apple, so why are you complaining? They're fine, really, and New Rome is amazing. You should come and visit it sometime!" Paul said, pulling out one of his ridiculous nicknames for Belle. There was Apple, Cinnamon, Beauty, Bee, and a few others, but Cinnamon and Apple seemed to be his favorite.

"How about… no? I don't think I'm going to New Rome ever. It's been bad enough just going to San Fran to visit you, your mom and your dad. Remind me why you stay there? Eck, Romans." Belle returned, sitting down on her bed with a _flump!_

"Mom has a job there. Dad likes the sea there." Paul said, sitting down next to her.

"There's sea everywhere, pretty much, even Cuba, and your Mom could probably get any job she wanted if she set her mind to it. You could live anywhere that isn't San Fran, but yet you live there anyway! You could even live in Cuba!" Belle cried dramatically. Paul put his arm around her shoulders in a brotherly manner. Belle cringed away, because Sally was still resting on his own shoulder.

"Look, Arabelle, I know you don't like coming to visit us but… We need to stay in San Francisco right now. It's for the best, okay? You seemed obsessed in meddling in my life, but let me remind you that I live in a pent house at the top of a hotel. You live in an apartment. And by the way, what is this Cuba thing you keep going on about?" Paul asked.

"Cuba is Cuba. It's just fun to say!" Belle grinned, and shook her head, "Sorry about the whole meddling thing, I can't help it. I don't like one of my best friends living near the enemy." Paul shot up.

"Romans aren't the enemy!" He exclaimed loudly, giving her a hard look, "You shouldn't judge them like that. In fact, Linus told me that it was the Greeks who started all the conflict in the first place, by bombing New Rome with a warship. If anything, it's _your_ fault!"

"You're Greek too, Paul! And don't you listen to Mr. Valdez? He told me that he was being controlled when he fired those shots. The Greeks didn't start the conflict! Anyway, the first conflict was started by the Romans way back when. It doesn't matter, I just don't like them, and don't trust them. Now leave me alone, I need to get dressed." Paul continued to glare at her before marching irately out of the Cabin. Belle rested her head in her hands, and shook her head. She could be stubborn at times about things like this, and she'd just managed to make Paul angry. It was one of the few things that they disagreed on, and by far the largest. She would never accept the Romans, there was something about them that bothered her. It would be easier to reject them. It wasn't like they _had_ to send some campers to Camp Half-Blood every summer!

Grumpily, she removed a ratty old t-shirt and some shorts from her trunk at the end of her bed and got dressed after a short shower in the bathroom. She tied her hair above her head in a ponytail, and tucked her grandfather's (and her own) dog tags under her shirt. Dressed, she brushed her teeth and stared into the mirror for a while. When she came back out, it was only fifteen minutes later – her beauty routine in the morning didn't take long. She placed her horn in her belt, making sure it was secure. It had been a gift, she wasn't about to lose it.

When she exited the Cabin, she found Paris and Silena waiting. Paris Arod was Macedonian and Indian, so her skin was a darker, coppery shade, her cheekbones were sharp enough to cut glass, and her hair was glossy black. Belle had seen it when it had been long, it had cascaded over her shoulders to past her waist. Then, since Paris had so much hair, her head had been dragged backwards ever so slightly, and she's constantly had headaches. So, in the dead of night while everyone was sleeping, she'd chopped it off. The only strange thing about her were her eyes (or eye, since only one was ever visible) – they were every color of the rainbow, constantly shifting and changing in a kaleidoscope of color. It symbolized who her mother was – Iris, goddess of the rainbow. Silena on the other hand was pale, with a few freckles across her long nose. Her hair was chocolate brown curls falling around her jaw (though her hair was a little stringy, like her mother's) and her eyes were bright, grass green. She was constantly smiling, despite her rude attitude.

"Belle! We saw Paul storming off a while ago. What did you say to make him angry?" Silena asked, trotting over to Belle. The daughter of Hecate blew out a long breath through her mouth.

"Don't even get me started! There are few things that Paul and I disagree on, and the Romans… we primarily disagree on whether they can be trusted or not. I don't think so. History shows that they like backstabbing, lots and lots of backstabbing." Belle answered. Silena snorted.

"They did help us fight Gaea, and the threat that no one can remember the name of… _Ῥέα,_ in Greek. It means…" Silena trailed off. She'd always had trouble with Ancient Greek.

"Rhea, wife – and sister, mind you – to Kronos. Apparently, defeating her husband left her with a grudge." Paris jumped in. Paris had an excellent memory, and had a knack for Ancient Greek. She taught classes on it to the newer campers. All campers before their third year in Camp were forced to attend, which some people disliked. Paris ran her finger across her eyebrow and tugged out an eyelash over her left eye, a nervous habit.

"Well, it doesn't matter really, but the Romans did help us fight them." Silena pointed out. Belle rolled her eyes.

"You're on Paul's side too, only because –" Belle started, but Silena hushed her.

"No! I don't. Shut up." Silena said.

"Come on, Sil, accept the truth. Anyway, the Romans are coming from Camp Jupiter, and I have to deal with them for the rest of the spring and summer. Ain't that cool? Nah, it's not. There's nothing I can do about it though. Let's go have breakfast." The three girls linked arms, and started for the Dining Pavilion.

"I had a dream about a unicorn last night, you know." Paris said as they walked. Belle smiled, grateful for the subject change. Paris, despite being the oldest of the three friends, had big eyes, was naïve and innocent. She thought everyone had to be good, or else. Though Belle loved her to death, she still thought that Paris might need a lesson on when not to trust people.

"A unicorn? Did it… I don't know, say ' _I will grant all your wildest dreams and there will be fluffy kittens and candy and pink clouds and a magic kingdom for everyone, and you will be the princess and get fancy, lacy, pink dresses and be a beautiful queen for you are Indian Barbie?_ '" Silena asked sharply. Paris gave the other girl a hard look. Silena had learned from her mother and father, Clarisse and Chris Rodriguez that being nice wasn't good. It was a privilege sometimes to be used, but mainly to be used sparingly. Silena was sarcastic, and a little rude, but still, Belle and Paris got along fine with her.

"Actually, it showed me to a magical fairy glade!" Paris told her defensively. They approached the Dining Pavilion, a Greek style open building with tall marble columns holding up a marble roof. Braziers burned next to every pillar. Long tables were lined up under the Pavilion, labeled for which Cabin they belonged to. There were enchanted plates resting at the places on the table. Chiron sat at the head of the table, talking with Mr. D. Several campers, including Paul, were all chatting at the Hermes table. No one bothered about which table you sat at too much, but you were _supposed_ to sit at the table dedicated to your godly parent.

"Yeah, fairies. Real macho, sis." Silena replied. Belle giggled.

"Oh, yeah and rainbows are also real macho." She teased. Paris sneered at both of them, but she couldn't help but crack a smile.

"Yes, they're as macho as anything comes." She held out her hand and summoned a little sphere of multicolored glowing light in her hand. She turned and grinned at her two friends, and then skipped off to go and talk to Cody Blaire, the overly amusing, one-liner providing son of Tyche, who was a bit of a wild child.

"Let's find something to eat." Belle said, picking up a golden plate from the Hecate table as she passed. It was empty, seeing as Kendra was probably going to spend the next few nights in Manhattan dealing with the Olympians, namely Hecate. As Silena and Arabelle walked past the Hermes Table, Paul caught Belle by the wrist and winked at her, the closest thing to a sorry that was ever going to come from the dark haired boy.

Silena took a plate from the Hades table. Seeing as she was a descendant from two demigods, she didn't bother with picking a plate from the correct table. They went to the front of the Pavilion where they said good morning to Chiron, who nodded to them. Rachel Dare, the Camp Half-Blood Oracle suddenly appeared next to Belle. She was a woman in her late thirties with curly red hair and freckles. She looked like an older version of Belle. She gave the younger girl a squeeze.

"Nice to see you, Bright-Eyes. Still annoyed that the Romans are coming?" Rachel asked.

"More than ever," Belle replied, "Why can't they just stay in Camp Jupiter? We don't invade them all the time!" Rachel shrugged and shook her head. She was carrying one of the gold plates heaped with pancakes, syrup, and lots of butter.

"It's the way things works. Some sort of sign of peace. I don't know. Between you and me, I'm pretty sure that Delphi doesn't like them either. Whenever they're around my Oracle Spirit has trouble seeing the future. Oh well. No way of stopping it." Rachel then walked around the table and sat down next to Chiron, where they started talking about chess. Belle looked down at her plate, and wished for Primal pancakes. She was completely Primal, which was sort of like Paleo, only a stricter lifestyle. She loved it, and she didn't get very much acne. It was nice. She walked over to the nearest brazier where the sacrifices to the gods were made. She scraped the roundest, most syrupy pancake into the flames.

" _Hi, Mommy. I just wanted to thank you for everything that you've given me, and the protection that you have given to my family._ " Belle prayed. She was sucky at this sacrifice thing. Paris was the best at it. She was highly genuine, and so her prayers to the gods were always clear and nice, and well done. Belle just had a hard time with them. She returned to the tables, and settled down next to Silena, who had gone ahead of her when she'd stopped to talk to Rachel.

"You excited about the Romans? You get to see some of your old friends!" Rodger Nicodemus was saying. Belle hated Rodger. He was arrogant, but his mother was the spirit of retreat from battle, so he was pretty much a wimp.

"I'm sort of excited." Silena murmured, giving Belle a sidelong glance. Belle kept her lips sealed.

"I'm very excited. The sign of peace, the celebrations, the fun times! I have made so many friends among the Romans, personally, and I think that the Romans coming again this year will be good for the Camp." Rodger said, stressing every single _I_ in his speech.

"If I agreed with you, we'd both be wrong." Belle replied, digging into her pancakes. She and Nicodemus exchanged annoyed glances.

"Do you pride yourself in arrogance?" Rodger asked, twirling his fork between his fingers. Belle snorted at him.

"No, but you seem to." She replied. Don't the table, Paul choked on his pancakes and started coughing a little bit. Belle commanded the golden goblet she found next to her plate to fill with apple cider, and took a sip, smiling into it. She was painfully aware of the fact that the comeback was not very good, but it shut up Nicodemus pretty well. He stabbed his fork into his food and glowered at her.

"Scooch!" I scooted over on command to allow Paris to slide in between Silena and me. Cody Blaire had left from where they're talking. He had now approached Chiron and was ranting to him about something. Chiron looked mildly interested, before sitting forward.

"… talk more at the Big House…" Belle heard the phrase, the telltale phrase that made her spine stiffen, and turned around to look at the Big House. A parade of icy footed beetles marched up her back. The place gave her the creeps, and she couldn't understand why. Besides, if Chiron wanted to talk about something away from the other campers, it usually meant that something big was up, he just didn't want to worry anyone. Belle's stomach cramped with nerves.

There are always those sorts of people who hate not knowing things. Belle was one of those. She prided herself on being the nerd, the smart girl, the know-it-all (okay, so she didn't pride herself on that last one, but it was still true, she was a bit of a know-it-all). She was the smartest of all of her friends from her hours of studying (in winter, what else was there to do at Camp?). Her nickname was Smarticus, because a) she was smart) and b) Spartacus. Now, she was in the dark. Something was going on that had made Cody Blaire nervous, and that was hard to do. Belle had to be honest with herself, Cody was a pretty easy-going, laid back, happy-go-lucky person. Very little could shake him, very little could force him to talk to Chiron. Belle and a few others knew that Cody Blaire didn't like Chiron much. He viewed him being a demigod the reason his father had died. He blamed Chiron mainly, for bringing him into the demigod mess.

He had a bit of a complex.

"Hey, earth to Apple!" Belle glanced at Paul who was waving his hand up and down, trying to get her attention. Her face flushed in annoyance. Had she just zoned out of the conversation for a few minutes? She was in the habit of accidentally zoning out of conversations and staring blankly into space for a few minutes as she thought about nothing. It was a bad habit to be into and she could seem to shake it. Old habits die hard.

"Like the computer?" the newbie demigod, who had arrived in Camp a few weeks ago, asked. Paul and Belle both shot him funny looks, and then turned back to look at each other.

"Sorry, zoning out. Wish I could stop that." Belle tapped her temple.

"That's not good, it could actually get you hurt sometime. You really need to work on that." Paris spoke, giving Belle's arm a squeeze. Belle stabbed her fork into her pancakes vengefully.

"While I'm at it, I'll just stop world hunger and the plague." Belle grumbled, twirling her fork in her fingers absently. Paul snickered.

"That would be a lovely bonus, don't you think?" he asked. Silena nodded her agreement.

"Yes, why don't you do that, Smarticus? You're magical after all. By the way, did you ever figure out that thing with the mist and the… the… you know! The thingy!" Silena was not good with words, though she liked to think she was. She often stumbled over them, and replaced different substitute words like thingy, ker-bopper, and that… thing-a-majig… over there… yeah, that!

"No." Belle said sourly, twirling her fork in between her fingers. She hadn't mastered that particular Mist trick. It was supposed to temporarily alter her opponent's memory, so he couldn't gauge her fighting style, or how she was going to attack next. It might be a handy trick, if Belle could ever get it right. The only thing that she had succeeded in doing with altering memories was make Paul forget that it was Silena's birthday two weeks ago. Silena still hadn't forgiven him, and Belle felt mostly responsible for that.

"What about that trick with the _skeletons_?" Rodger Nicodemus asked, leaning across the table and leering at Belle. Belle leaned away, disgusted by how close his face was to her. She had weird personal space issues when it came to most people.

" _No._ " Belle lied. She'd mastered the trick with the skeletons, but it creeped her out. She _hated_ skeletons, or bones in general. She didn't mind the magic, she didn't mind the Mist control, she didn't even mind the prophetic dreams she occasionally got, but she did mind the fact that her mother was the goddess of necromancy, and that she could call on skeletons to aid her in battle. Of course, once she called on them she was pretty much exhausted. She'd done it once during Capture the Flag, when she and Cody Blaire had ended up in a den of large, rabid looking rats. She'd fainted against a tree, and when she had come to, Cody Blaire had looked at her like she was some type of freak. He'd asked her if she was a daughter of Hades, posing to be a daughter of Hecate. Of course, this wasn't true. But he hadn't know that Hecate was the goddess of necromancy either.

"Auntie Hazel is coming though, with the Romans, and maybe she can help you perfect your Mist control." Paul suggested, trying to draw the tension away from the topic of skeletons. How had Nicodemus known that she could call on the undead to aid her in battle? Had Cody gone and blabbed to everyone? She'd tried to keep this particular power under wraps, because it scared her. The undead were creepy.

"I know. I'm excited that she's coming." Belle said. She'd always looked up to Auntie Hazel, as the older woman insisted on everyone calling her. She was still small, slight of frame with skin that Arabelle could only describe as mocha colored, and luminescent golden eyes – literal golden eyes. Her hair was always a frizzy mess that reached just above her shoulders. She was never seen without a golden chain of jewelry around her neck, a glittering wedding ring on her finger, and something purple with the SPQR lettering in metallic colors on it. Auntie Hazel was one of Belle's favorite people. She always smelled like vanilla and a mysterious earthy smell, and was nearly always smiling. Belle had always liked her much better than Mrs. Jackson, or Mrs. Grace. There was a certain element of realism that Auntie Hazel had about her, some kind of warm wisdom. For the first few years of her life, Belle hadn't really had a motherly figure. Hecate had left her as a baby, passing her over a fast food counter to her father. Until Lilah, her father had never had a steady girlfriend. Auntie Hazel had been Belle's first real mother figure when she'd first met her at ten.

"Well, I suppose that they'll be here soon so we should probably get ready." Silena said, in her usual snappy way that she had, leaning out from the table and glancing out of the pavilion.

"I suppose." Stabbing her last pancake with her fork, Belle gave her plate a hard look. She knew that Paul was watching her out of the corner of his eyes, looking for some sort of reaction. Belle wasn't going to give him the satisfaction. She quietly discarded her fork onto her plate, gathered her dishes in her arms, and left the table behind her. She could feel Paul's eyes glaring into her back. He was probably still mad at her for hating the Romans. But honestly, could he blame her? She was rather intolerant.

She sighed, and rubbed her forehead.

Not the intolerance enigma again.

Belle usually spent her nights, lying awake thinking about the idea of intolerance. Did tolerance and intolerance really exist at all? No one really tolerated each other's actions, their religions, their educations… but at the same time what was intolerance without tolerance? There was no way to define intolerance except for the absence of tolerance. So, what did that mean? Did it mean that tolerance and intolerance were real, but simply didn't exist in the world today, or that they were abstract concepts that weren't real? She couldn't make any sense, and most of the time she pondered this during the night.

"There's the horn," Paris said just as the horn blew loudly, signaling that the Romans were near, "We should get going." Clenching her teeth hard, Belle braced herself. She knew that whatever was coming she wasn't going to like it much. She knew that this was going to be a long approaching summer. She gripped her Camp Half Blood necklace tightly in one fist as she left the pavilion alone. Behind her she could hear the clamor of the other campers as they started to leave. She closed her eyes as she walked, having walked towards Half Blood Hill so many times her feet automatically found the right steps. This would be interesting.

When she opened her eyes again though, she knew immediately that something was wrong – off. Maybe it was her Demigod Senses kicking in, or maybe it was the fact that a Roman, purple shirt and all, was sprinting towards her. She had eyes so piecing and blue – like ice – that Belle could tell their color from a great distance. Her hair streamed out behind her in a long dark ribbon as she ran. The sun glinted off of it, showing it to be the color of dark chocolate. Her skin was what set her apart. She was pale, but she was also African America looking. Belle decided that she would think of it as vanilla coffee. All the same she broke into a sprint and greeted the girl halfway up the hill. As she drew closer, she realized the girl was about her age.

"You – you have to help them!" Roman-Vanilla-Coffee-Girl was breathless from running. Belle watched her face for a second. She wasn't an expert of psychology, but her step-aunt, Kayla Cadona-Releashonee was a psychologist who also into psychiatry. She'd taught Belle a few things, and now Belle employed them. This girl was panicked, but anyone could have told you that. She was worried about the rest of Camp Jupiter, and her hands were moving around like she agitated. Monsters – that spelled monsters loud and clear. Danger, monsters, death.

"Where?" Belle asked.

"That way." Roman-Vanilla-Coffee-Girl pointed, still panting, up Half Blood Hill and past Thalia's Pine. Belle followed the line of her finger. She wished she could see over the hill, but she was only about half the way up. She nodded, and placed two fingers in her mouth. She whistled hard, and then reached for her horn. She raised it to her lips and blew. Roman-Vanilla-Coffee-Girl covered her ears and winced at the sharp sound, but Arabelle had already tucked the horn away. Paul at least would know what it meant. Sure enough, she heard shouting from the Camp.

"Battle Stations!" She called, cupping her hands on either side of her mouth and yelling. She used magic to project her voice down to the Campers. She saw Paris running with Paul for the Pegasus Stables and Cody Blaire not far behind them. There was Rodger Nicodemus sprinting towards the Big House for Chiron. There was Esperanza Valdez, getting ready to rally a small party to follow Belle. But Belle didn't wait. She was on the move.

A few meters away, she stopped and turned to Roman-Vanilla-Coffee-Girl.

"I'm Belle, by the way." She said.

"Vera." The other girl nodded at her.

"I want you to get to that large house over there and keep your head down, Vera." Belle tried to sound reassuring, but she didn't even know what she was facing. Who would dare attack the Roman travelling party? They were large in numbers, full of strong fighters. She could hear the clamor now, there was fighting just over the ridge of the hill.

"I can fight." Vera argued, her eyebrows drawing together in a sharp glare.

"I know you can. But you're in shock right now. You need to get back to the Big House. Don't come out until one of us comes to get you, okay?" She spoke, trying not to sound forced. Vera's face contorted in a sneer and she gave Belle a mock salute.

"Yes, _Captain._ " She glowered, and then turned and sprinted down the hill. Arabelle turned and started the climb to the top. She paused at the top, staring out over the scene of carnage before her. She was struck breathless.

 **A couple of notes on the chapter:**

 **Lilah Forks (Now Arakataren), who is Arabelle's stepmother, is married to her father and has two daughters, Ruth and Dawn. Her sister, Kayla Cadona-Releashonee (Nee Forks), is a trained psychologist, though currently she is working as a psychiatrist in Palm Springs, California. Belle, who hates California, doesn't go there to visit her often, but she loves her (step) aunt very dearly.**

 **Paul and Belle have been best friends pretty much since Belle came to Camp. He transfers between the two Camps, seeing as his parents tend to prefer Camp Jupiter. They want him to go to college there, but secretly he'd rather go to college in the mortal world. Belle and he met on her first day, when she was generally shocked and confused about everything that was going on. He was also the only one who saw her use the Mist the first time in a game of Capture the Flag.**

 **Cuba and Peru are some of Belle's favorite words to say. She likes other, longer words too, but she enjoys those country names, and she always has. That's why she was campaigning for Paul to move to Cuba, even though Cuba, in reality, isn't as nice as the United States in some places. She has visited Peru, but not Cuba.**

 **Belle's fear of Sally (the spider) is rooted in a terrifying experience when she was young. She was cleaning out the attic above their apartment, and all of a sudden, a large, hairy black spider lunged forward and tried to bite her. She was afraid of them ever since then. When she was eleven, and in Egypt, she got bitten by a brown recluse, which only strengthened her fear of spiders. Luckily, her father had a special kit for brown recluse bites, and she suffered no ill-effects of it. She was not in the forty percent of the populous that has a violent reaction to brown recluse bites. She's fine with scorpions, even though she thinks they're a little gross, but as soon as you talk about spiders, she'd hiding under the table.**

 **Silena only calls Paris and Indian Barbie because a) Paris's skin color, and b) she's a bit jealous of the fact that Paris rivals some of the Aphrodite kids in looks. She just got lucky, and grew up exceedingly and unexpectedly pretty. Paris isn't really aware of the fact she's pretty, even though lots of people tell her she is. She sort of goes, "oh…" and dismisses it, not believing them.**

 **Paul saying that he's Asian on the inside stems from an evening he spent with Frank and Hazel – and overnight so he could see the Zhangs. He tried an imitation of Frank's grandmother, frail with a strong Chinese accent. He did it incredibly well, and Frank told him that maybe he was Asian on the inside.**

 **Neither Paul nor Belle are actually discriminatory. They're not** _ **actually**_ **racist, they just tend to make comments that just sort of come out racist. Silena disapproves of this and she doesn't realize that she does it too. She is just much worse about it. Considering she looks pretty Hispanic, it makes Paul and Belle crack up. They're actually all very welcoming of people of all races. There probably won't be a lot of awkward comments in the story itself so I don't offend anyone.**

 **A few of the people who got chosen from the contest showed up in this chapter, and more to come. There will eventually be a bit of a time-skip to summer when some other campers are at Camp, but this is important stuff going on right now. So bear with me for a while.**

 **See you next Sunday,**

 **PR**


	4. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

In Which Some Random Romans are Kidnapped

 _Think on this – you're on the edge of a battle raging between a very large fore of monsters, dracaena, hellhounds, telekhines… was that a Gorgon? Ooh look, some Laistrygonians. This keeps getting better and better. Anyway, you're on the outskirts of a large battle. Do you run, or do you stay and fight. You're grossly outmatches, have no weapons on you but your katars and magic, and you're pretty sure there are some giant spiders in the crowd. But you're also stupidly brave. What do you do? That's right, you charge in to save the Romans._

Blood, mingled with golden dust and spoils of war. Bodies, lying sprawled on the ground, some injured and bleeding out, some dead. Gone. For good. Swords and other golden weapons flashed in the sunlight as the Romans dueled with the monsters. But they were too stiff in their movements. They weren't quite fast enough when it came to blocking. They were weary, and had been taken by surprise. Belle felt her stomach knot tightly as she stared down at the battle scene. She knew that there was supposed to be the deafening clamor of battle, but somehow, it didn't matter so she just tuned it out.

The Romans were getting _slaughtered._

"Right." Belle muttered. She reached to roll up her sleeves, but she was in a short sleeve shirt so she couldn't. Instead, she stretched out her hands before her and closed her eyes, concentrating. She felt the heat of a fire bloom between her outstretched fingers. She smiled slowly, steadily. This is something she could do. She opened her eyes and watched the fireball on her palm grow even larger. It was the size of a baseball now, flames licking up around her palms towards the sky. Pinks, oranges, reds, and the occasional flick of blue obscured Belle's vision for only a moment before she drew back like a major league pitcher and threw the fireball into the nearest crowd of monsters.

Some of the monsters looked up at her and her projectile, staring as if transfixed by the fire. Then, the fireball dropped from the soaring arc it was making and exploded outwards, evaporating several monsters into powder. Belle breathed a sigh of relief. She was still working on that one.

Despite knowing she was a Demigod for over four years, and living full time at Camp Half Blood (To save her family the danger of luring monsters towards them), Belle was still rather unadapt at magic. She'd only known that her mother was Hecate for about a year and a half, and she was still mastering magic Mist control came naturally to her, she could do all sorts of things with illusions (Usually not over multiple people), but for some reason magic wasn't really clicking in her brain. Sure, she could throw fireballs and create turquoise balls of pure energy to chuck at her opponents, but magic was difficult.

"Take cover!" Someone screamed as she summoned another fireball between her fingers. Monsters were starting to take notice of her, looking up the hill to where she was standing on the crest. She held her ground. A couple of Laistrygonian giants grunted at each other and started towards her, breaking away from the main battle.

Belle lobbed her second fireball. It made impact with the leaders of the Laistryagonian giants coming towards her. It disintegrated on the spot, crumbling away. But there was still the problem of the other six still coming at her, growling curses. She summoned another fireball, and threw it, but she missed and nearly burned a Roman camper. Yelling a couple of choice words in Greek, she grabbed the paperclips that were her katars, and unclipped them. She usually didn't swear, not even in Greek or any other language that she knew. But this was a particularly terrifying time with those giants sprinting towards her. In her hands, she could feel the paperclips changing, elongating into two blades shaped like triangles. Describing what a katar was exactly was hard. It fit into the blade category, but it wasn't exactly like a small dagger. Instead, a katar was more like Wolverine claws that you could hold with handles.

Belle whipped her katars apart just in time, the giants reached her and the first one took a swipe at her. Ducking, Belle rolled across the ground. This was what she was trained for – taking out much bigger opponents. Chiron had specifically trained her for this. One-on-one combat? Forget it. But taking down a small pack of larger and stronger opponents were stronger.

The first giant took a swing at her. Belle easily ducked underneath it. They may have had size on their side, but Belle knew that their large weapons made them slow. The second Laistryagonian took a leaf out of her book, summoned up a fireball, and lobbed it at her. She was not so prepared for this so she threw up one arm, hoping the stop the fireball from hitting her face. It blasted around her, deflected by her magic. Only her fingers were feeling a bit singed. She let out a breath, and twirled her katars. Now it was her turn. The third hadn't quite reached her yet, so she had time to lunge and stab the nearest one in the stomach. The giant roared in pain, but the next moment it had burst into a large pile of glittering gold dust. Belle coughing, trying not to get it into her eyes and turned to her other opponents. They were still coming at her, and they were both lobbing fireballs at high speed. Belle wasn't sure she could block that many. So she took off running. Ducking, weaving, skidding and rolling, she felt the heat of the fireballs of her back. She hit the deck twice as a volley of fireballs soared over her head and left a burning patch of grass in front of her. Sweat poured down her face. She turned and sent a small ball of opalescent turquoise energy flying back at the giants. She missed the one she had been aiming at and hit the Camp Half Blood barrier instead. There was a sound like a thunderclap as her magic connected with it. Skirting the edge of the battle, she started down the side of the hill that was safe and took a breath. Paul reached her, grabbed her elbows and surveyed her face to make sure she was okay.

"Why did you have to try to take giants on… on your own?" He shouted.

"Sorry, it's not like I had a choice, Jackson Option A was fight them. Option B was let them eat me alive. I went with Option A." Belle snarled.

"Guys, stop bickering!" Silena called a timeout, "We've got to regroup and come up with a plan of attack!" She cried.

"Who put you in charge again?" Rodger Nicodemus complained.

"My grandfather." Silena snapped, and then she turned back to the assembled campers. There weren't many of them, Belle realized with a sinking heart. There was Paris, who was standing at the back of the group looking anxiously around, her eyes wide. Her left eye didn't quite focus correctly and Belle knew why. She wasn't about to share that secret. Not yet. Then there was the shy blind kid – Aiden or Auden or something like that – who rarely showed up at the dining pavilion for breakfast. He liked to eat alone. His hair was vivid red, and Belle was pretty sure it was dyed. Then there was Paul, Cody Blaire, Mia Douglass daughter of Khione, Jourdaine Montague (Belle didn't know her godly parent), Amelia Martinez daughter of Athena, David McCarthy (Once again, unknown parent to Belle) and Rhona Macdonald, daughter of Apollo, who was scratching her head and staring at Silena. Paul, Silena, Silena's older brother Luka, and Cecelia Stoll. Not much of a fighting force.

"Alright, fine." Nicodemus rolled his eyes like he was trying to avoid a big fight. He probably was.

"We need to rescue the Romans." Silena said, taking a breath. Her brother, Luka, who looked almost identical to her except he was male, rolled his eyes. He pushed his shaggy brown hair out of his face and snorted.

"No duh, sis. I think we've concluded that much." He moved away from the group and clapped his hands together to get everyone's attention. He didn't need to. He sort of commanded attention. Whenever he came into a room, everyone focused on Luka. For the longest time, Belle had had a crush on him. Luckily, she'd gotten over it. She could see now, as he had grown up a little bit, he was become a bossy commander with control issues. That didn't change the fact they were friends, it just was something that Belle had observed. She had long since moved on.

"Look, people, we are going to rescue the Romans. My way." He said, as Silena opened her mouth, probably to point out that she had already said that. Belle reached over and caught Silena's sleeve.

"It's not worth it." She hissed, out of breath.

"He's such a control freak." Silena hissed back, clenching her hands into fists and glaring at her brother. They had a weird sense of love, and though they both cared on the inside, deep down, their sibling relationship seemed to be built strongly on violence. They would punch each other's arms, bicker, yell, duel in the area, and all sorts of other violent activities that Belle didn't think were necessarily "bonding activities". Yet they were close.

"I know." Belle replied, in hopes of appeasing her friend. Meanwhile, Luka had made sure that everyone was listening to him. Mia Douglass was giving him a look like, 'what the heck are you doing?' and David McCarthy was just trying to look as small as possible in the background.

"We storm over the hill. Mia, use your ice powers on the nearest giants and stopping any fire coming at us. Rhona, Jourdaine, you stay up here and snipe off as many monsters as you can. Cecil, Belle, Auden, Paul, sneak around the right flank and get as many Romans up the hill as you can. If you see the Graces, get them over here _right now._ We could use some lightning. Silena, Amelia, Cody, you are sneaking around the left flank. I'm going to be the distraction, and David, you're with me, and Paris-" Luka turned to her, "Stay here. We'll need a medic for when injured Romans come in."

"Good. I want to stay as far away from that fire as I can." Paris said, peeking over the crest of the hill where a Laistryagonian giant was beating up a kid.

"Are you okay staying back here? You won't freak out?" Silena asked turning to Paris. Paris shook her head, but winced as a fireball was thrown into the magical barrier. She really hated fire. She was scared of it, Belle figured. She just didn't know why. Paris had always been touchy about that subject. She had a sweet disposition, but that didn't stop her from losing her temper when nosy questions got asked.

"Right, are we ready?" Luka dismissed Paris's fear immediately. The whole crew murmured that they were ready, and then Luka turned to the top of the hill, "Alright troop, move out!" Belle, followed closely by Auden, Paul, and Cecelia (Or Cecil as everyone called her), sprinted up and over the hill, and started to sneak along the right flank. The carnage that they saw below them was horrid. Whole trees had been uprooted and tossed about the battle field, dead or wounded bodies (It was impossible to tell at this distance) littered the grass, staining it red, and worst of all, the Romans that were still fighting were lagging. They were intercepted by a small ground of rogue _dracaena_ nearly immediately. Belle and Paul closed ranks in front of Cecil and Auden. There was a crack as Cecil's celestial bronze whip came out (In Belle's mind a rather impractical weapon). There was also the sound of a sword being drawn, Auden's walking stick turning into his blade.

"Who gave the blind guy a sword?" Belle muttered out of the corner of her mouth to Paul. His lips quirked up in a smile.

"The same person who gave you those katars." He replied. Paul reached into his pocket and brought out his Imperial Gold coin. It had been a twelfth birthday gift from Jason Grace. Paul had told the story of how Jason had gone to Olympus and demanded Juno give him a sword and a javelin combined in one, with its Mist Form being a golden coin. Juno had reluctantly obliged. And so Paul had a special sword-javelin that he was very proud of. He flipped it in the air, and it came down as a sword, glittering and gold.

"Touché." Belle said quickly. She stared down the leader of the _dracaena._ This snake woman wore golden armor like a legion soldier, and her head was held high in pride. The sight couldn't have been more hideous or disturbing. For a moment, Belle wished she was blind. They stood, staring at each other, standing off. Cecil cracked her whip impatiently behind Belle and Paul.

"Romans are dying! Chop, chop. We don't have time for dramatic stare-offs!" Cecil snapped. Belle took a moment to glance back at Cecil. Her teeth were barred and her chin lifted defiantly. She was challenging Belle's authority to be one of the leaders of their small squad. Cecil and Belle usually got along. Most of the time.

The thing about them was that, as humorous and jokey as they both were, they often butted heads about authority. Belle had once counted her flaws, and having problems with being told what to do was one of them. She wasn't one to like to be in control, but she also wasn't one to be commanded and ordered around like cannon fodder. Cecil had the same issue, except she was incredibly controlling. She liked to be in charge. She enjoyed the spotlight. She was, like Luka, one of those people who drew attention of everyone. She flirted with guys, she made friends with girls, and was one of the most extroverted people you would ever have the fortune to meet. She laughed, chattered and talked non-stop. That was not who Belle was, and though they could usually peacefully coexist, they had their moments. When Belle had first come to camp, Cecil had been one of her first friends. As they had gotten older however, their personalities had started to clash.

"Look, Cecil, dramatic stare-offs are necessary to any monster fight. The action flicks always have them," Paul joked, "The killing is always put on hold for the hero to have a dramatic staring contest with the enemies. They're classy. We can't cut them from the script."

"I agree with Paul. Utterly necessary." Belle said, but her attention was somewhere else. She was concentrating on keeping the _dracaena_ distracted. Part of using the Mist was tricking creatures into seeing what they wanted to see. Currently, she was attempting to keep the snake women distracted by showing them images of the four campers quailing beneath a vicious assault. She had her eyes narrowed, and her hands, still clinging to her katars, outstretched before her. Auden's nose twitched ever so slightly. Belle had the weirdest feeling he knew that she was using magic, even though he couldn't see or hear it.

"Okay, everyone ready? Cinnamon? Cinnamon?" Paul turned to Belle, using once of his common nicknames for her. She narrowed her eyes a little further and concentrated on what she was doing. Yes, the _dracaena_ were starting to lower their guard. She was imagining a complex battle sequence where Paul and she were flat on the ground weaponless, Auden was twirling around, well, blindly, and Cecil was cowering in fear. Several of the _dracaena_ were incredibly invested in the vision. She knew she was having a strong effect on them. But this was a large scale spell, and Belle still struggled with those. Several more _dracaena_ were standing around, not attacking, but looking at her warily.

"Magic." Auden muttered simply. Paul groaned and started to march away before turning back to Belle and reaching for her shoulders. Cecil knocked his hand away.

"Don't you know anything about magic, Paul? She needs her concentration or else bad things happen!" Cecil explained, sounding annoyed. When Paul gave her a funny look, she was suddenly defensive, "What? She told me a long time ago."

Meanwhile, Belle could feel her focus slipping. All the talking and the sounds of the massacre happening were distracting her. Her elaborate scene was storying to dissolve around the edges. She could feel her exhaustion from using so much magic already wearing at it. It was becoming thin, with small pinprick holes in the Mist. She was going to lose all of the _dracaena_ soon. They would charge and attack. Belle spread her arms a little wider, and put all she had into the vision, silently willing for Paul, Cecil and Auden to take the initiative to attack. When they didn't, she kicked backwards, he leg connecting with Auden's shin. He gave a small yelp, and that nearly did her magic in. Exhaustion gnawed at her insides. Even though she had just eaten, she felt famished, like she could eat a horse. Belle knew that if she kept it up much longer, she was going to fall over.

Dizziness washed over her in a wave, and she stumbled sideways.

Auden was talking very fast to Paul and Cecil, but Belle paid them no heed. She pushed all she had into that vision. The _dracaena_ were going to believe in what they were seeing. Then, Paul and Auden lurched forward past her, and the last of the vision melted away. But it had done the trick, her companions had the element of surprise. Cecil hung back and caught Belle's arm as she stumbled.

"Are you alright?" The Stoll demanded. Belle looked at her hand, hating how pale it looked. She was normally pale, but not her skin almost looked as white as snow. She took a deep breath, and her initial dizziness vanished.

"'mmmfine." She slurred.

Whist Cecil was helping Belle sit down and recuperate, Paul and Auden were taking down the _dracaena._ There were maybe ten of them, all snake women. Their lower halves were reptilian and slithery. Their green scales glinted in the feeble sunlight. Each carried a weapon, though not all the same weapon. The _dracaena_ were armed with numerous and various weapons. Several carried spears, a few carried swords, two carried axes, and one carried an Imperial Gold mallet that looked like it would leave a mark. Paul spared the battle below them a glance.

In the center of the combat, his parents stood shoulder to shoulder. He could make out his mother's glinting gold hair. She twirled a bone white sword deftly, stabbing a Hell Hound as he watched. His father, with the long celestial bronze blade named _Riptide,_ battled two Laistrygonian giants at once. There, next to them, Thea Grace and Bianca Zhang dueled with more _dracaena_ and a single Gorgon. Definitely not Medusa, seeing as they had already peeped at her, and weren't statues.

All around, Romans were rallying with the small flood of campers from Camp Half Blood. Chiron stood with Jourdaine and Rhona, sniping several of the monsters. But there was something about the battle that was wrong. Paul could tell that this was the last effort of the Romans. He could see that his parents were lagging, and as gracefully and flawlessly as they moved, he could see the weariness on their faces from afar.

That did it.

Paul was going to save them all.

Paul turned his attention back to his own task. Behind him he saw Belle, white as a sheet. He was silently kicking himself for not noticing what she was doing sooner. He'd watched her learn about her powers, and begin to learn how to use them. He knew perfectly well that large spells, covering multiple individuals like that, were not Belle's thing. She specialized in fireballs, and glowing turquoise spheres of pure energy. She could cast a concealment spell, or turn herself into a living chameleon. But as soon as someone else was added into the mix? Forget it, Belle fell flat on her face.

Auden stood poised to attack on Paul's right. The snake women were still recovering from their confusion. Paul took advantage of this and threw himself at them.

He and Auden had the element of surprise, which worked well to their advantage and fighting style. Paul twirled his blade and impaled the first _dracaena_ in the neck. The look of shock in the snake woman's eyes was easily apparent. Her sister (Or at least the _dracaena_ next to her that looked exactly the same as her), shook off her surprise and turned, readying her axe. She swung it at Paul. He leaped back to avoid being cleaving in half, but moved forward again jabbing at her. The goal was to disarm her, he wouldn't be able to fight her with that axe in the way. She deflected his blow. His sword was knocked aside. The impact made the blade vibrate and, even with the well wrapped handle, made his hands numb. Clumsier now, he made another swing. He managed to get his blade locked in between the blades of the axe. His mistake.

Paul considered himself to be strong, but not _that_ strong. The _dracaena_ easily twisted his sword out of his hand. The blade skittered across the grass and landed several meters away. Too far for Paul to lunge after it. And his wrist was on fire! He was sure that the snake woman's sharp twist had broken it – at least that was what it felt like.

Having no backup weapon, he stepped under the _dracaena_ 's guard and did a quick one-two in her scaly face.

Stunned, she lost her balance, but Paul was forced to clutch at his wrist as it protested angrily with burning pain. He barely paused though, using his feet with a powerful roundhouse kick. The _dracaena_ fell over, her axe falling on top of her. The axe impaled its mistress, and she disappeared in a puff of golden powder.

Paul turned himself back to the rest of the snake women.

Auden was doing a pretty good job handling the rest. For a blind guy, he did a good job knowing when blows were coming. She stepped around them easily, catching his opponents' weapons easily. He fought five or six at once, while the remaining two were headed for Belle and Cecil. Cecil had it handled though. She stretched out her hand, and the grass beneath the feet of the two snake women started to grow at a very alarming rate. It began to writhe, and wrap around their tails, and up their torsos. Cecil then twirled and made a sharp motion with her whip. There was a hollow clanging sound of the whip biting through armor, and then both of the _dracaena_ were gone, disintegrated into grains of sand.

Paul was suddenly brought back to reality by the _dracaena_ with the large metal mallet turned his way. He realized he hadn't gone to grab his weapon, it was still in the grass several meters away. Paul's stomach twisted as the monster bared down on him.

Auden seemed too preoccupied by his monsters to notice. If he relied entirely on his senses like hearing, scent and smell, then he wouldn't notice that one of the _dracaena_ had broken away. Cecil was scanning the battlefield below, maybe looking for a very specific Roman (Paul had a fairly good idea who). Belle still sat back in the grass, her eyes closed, her skin bone white. Suddenly, her eyes flicked open. Paul had always enjoyed looking at her eyes. They were cool. Mostly green, but some of the pigment was messed up in one of them, leaving a brown splotch right next to her pupil.

Belle's eyes flicked across the scene immediately. There was Auden, dueling flawlessly with five _dracaena_ and there was Cecil, looking out over the destruction of the battle. Blood, sweat, grime, and monster dust covered Auden's face. Maybe he'd fallen over and landed face first in some dirt. That was what it looked like, at least. Paul didn't look much better. His shirt was torn and he was clutching at his wrist like it had been broken. There was a cut on his cheek oozing blood. The mallet _dracaena_ noticed her eyes were open and turned to her.

"I will kill you next, Witch." She hissed. Then, the _dracaena_ 's attention was back of Paul. Belle could see the fear in his face, the satisfaction in the _dracaena_ 's. She was going to enjoy killing him. Belle had to do something. Anything.

She wracked her brain. Katars? Definitely out of the question. She'd dropped them after doing magic, and she'd have to search through the grass to find them again. She wasn't about to do that when Paul was in danger. An illusion? She wasn't sure she could manage that constant tax on her strength, mental, physical and emotional, for very long. She was left with several options. She could throw a ball of magic, or she could summon the _skeletons._

Belle made up her mind.

"I don't think so!" She said, crying the most clichéd battle cry she could think of. She summoned up a small ball of magic in her hand, crying out as she did so. She felt like passing out. The magic was pure turquoise energy, ready for throwing. It was weak, yes, and tiny, yes, but it would do the trick. It would buy Paul time. She threw the energy right into the _dracaena_ 's face. The snake woman howled in pain, clawing at her face.

"Thanks." Paul said breathlessly, before swinging his leg around in a mighty kick. He successfully disarmed the _dracaena_ , and picked up the mallet that she had once held. Belle looked away as he brought it down, but that didn't stop her from hearing the crunch as it connected. Belle was not one for killing. Sure, she'd throw around a few fireballs, maybe stab a few monsters, but it certainly wasn't something she enjoyed. And the death of this _dracaena_ had been particularly gross. The sound of bones cracking… She allowed Paul to retrieve his sword and help her up. Meanwhile, Auden was doing well with the other _dracaena._ He's dispatched three, and the other two were staying back, mostly blocking blows now. They seemed to know that they were going to lose and be sent back to Tartarus, the infernal hell-like pit where all monsters came from. Paul's mother and father had once fallen into the pit, and they quickly changed the subject whenever it came up. Auden understood why – it was an uncomfortable topic of discussion. Behind him, he heard the rustling of Belle being helped up. He couldn't gauge where Cecil was, but he guessed she was back behind him somewhere. Paul was definitely the one who was helping Belle up, Auden could hear his heavy breathing and uneven footsteps.

"You alright?" Paul asked Belle.

"Fine." She sounded breathless. It was hard for Auden to describe Belle's voice. He could easily describe Paul's, even and getting deeper with age, full of emphasis. His voice was very… orotund. But Belle's… the way she talked was a bit odd. She accented certain words as if on purpose, and her sentences were sometimes clipped. Her voice would sometimes die away at the end of a sentence. The way she talked sometimes was almost singsong and lilting, like she was practicing speaking in another language with an accent. She was always a little bit breathless it seemed. Maybe silvery would be the right word, but Auden wasn't sure. Her voice was weird.

"What's going on?" Cecil spoke somewhere near Belle. Auden smiled. He liked Cecil, more than he cared to admit. Yes, he'd never actually seen her, but he could imagine what she looked like. He'd once gone up and rubbed his hands all over her face just to get a good idea of what her face looked like. This had weirded Cecil out a bit, and Auden was forced to admit, it had been a little strange. But she was just so… he wasn't entirely sure that the word as powerful. She wasn't _powerful_ , but she was commanding. She had a certain air of 'I tell you this and you do it' about her, and yet she was quiet at time too. Especially when the Romans came. Deep down, she was really kind too. Auden had seen (well, metaphorically, he hadn't actually _seen_ her) go from angry, commanding and rude to calm, quiet and kind in zero point one seconds.

During a game of Capture the Flag, when Auden had first come to Camp, she had been helping a teammate in the woods, binding up a cut on his arm. Auden was pretty sure that was when he had decided that he liked her. No visual, just the sound of her voice, and the way she had talked to the boy. He had been panicked about the blood, and worried it would get infected. Cecil had calmed him. Ever since then, Auden had liked – or maybe loved, he wasn't sure – her.

Cecil's voice was definitely orotund like Paul's, though not as deep. She had a tendency to slur her words at times, yet was always understandable. She occasionally sounded tight or brittle when she spoke, yet there was usually very little _emotion_ behind her words. That as the one thing that Auden could find fault with. He couldn't see people's faces, he had to rely on their voices to tell what they were thinking. He could always tell what Paul or Chiron was thinking, but not Cecil. Perhaps it added to her mystery for some, but to him it was bothersome. He had tried to tell her once to put more emotion behind her words, and he was sure she had given him the strangest look, even though he couldn't see.

Through that though, he still enjoyed her presence, her steadiness.

Belle's voice, "Watch out!"

Auden had been so involved in his reverie that he had almost track of the fight. Where were the _dracaena_ now? He couldn't hear them, but there was something whistling slightly… He was knocked to the ground by someone, Belle – he could tell by the scars he felt along her forearms.

Out of the blue, he realized her hair smelled like lake water and cinnamon. Maybe that was why Paul called her that. He added it to his list of identifying factors for Belle along with 'too many scars', 'weird voice' and 'can blast people with magic when she's mad'.

There was a thud in the dirt next to Auden's foot. He tentatively poked it with the toe of his sneakers.

"Javelin. Sorry," Belle disentangled herself from him and standing up. She offered him her hand, before remembering to say, "I'm offering you my hand, Remi." Auden reached up, searching for her hand. He glowered at her too – he didn't like it when people did that. Granted he wouldn't have known her hand was extended otherwise… When he found it, he intertwined his fingers with hers and let her pull him to his feet. He brushed off his pants and turned to where he was sure Cecil and Paul were standing.

"Bro, we are about three yards to your left." Paul said. Auden turned virtually all the way around, and heard Paul laughing from behind him.

"That's not funny!" Auden yelled at the sky.

"It was a bit funny." Belle said from behind Auden. Auden snorted, irritated. He had a certain dislike for blind jokes, and pranks that were played on his because he couldn't see. One day, perhaps, he would go to the gods and demand for sight. Maybe someday, he would see Cecil. Cecil's voice came, a bit strangled sounding,

"We have to get down there. Jul- the Romans are down there losing the battle, and Luka and David aren't making a very good distraction." She warned. Paul and Belle looked at each other as Auden and Cecil started down to the center of the battle. They knew what she had been going to say. She had been going to say _Julian._

"Do you think that we should break it to Auden?" Belle asked absently as they started jogging down the steep hill.

"Hmm? Oh, break what? That Cecil's got the biggest crush on Julian ever? Look, he doesn't see the wayward puppy dog looks that Cecil keeps sending Julian, and I think it's much better to stay that way." Paul said.

"Be nice to Cecil." Belle chided. Even though she and Miss Stoll butted heads a lot, they were still good friends, and on good terms for the most part.

"I'm only saying what's true." Paul replied.

"You are a horrible person!"

"So are you, I thought we already determined this."

"Remind me why we're friends again?"

"Maybe because I'm irresistible to you?"

"No that's not it. Keep guessing, this is just getting good."

"I'm devilishly handsome and kick-butt with a sword and spear?"

"Nope. But seriously Paul, I think that we should at least tell Auden. It would be horrid for him to find out later." Belle said, bringing their conversation back around. Paul rubbed his forehead.

"If Jules is ever interested in Cecil. Which he's not now, and probably will never be. She'll lose interest and go to Auden. He's her solid friend, and has always been there for her when she's not doing alright. It's only natural for them to fall in love eventually." Paul replied.

"Eventually," Belle grumbled, "Wait, does that mean, since I go to you with my problems, we're going to fall in love eventually?"

"Nah. That'd never happen to us. Besides, my mother has banned me from marrying an Arakataran." Paul picked up the pace slightly, they were lagging a ways behind Cecil and Auden. Below them was pure mayhem, but Belle was starting to see signs of the battle dying down. The din of metal on metal was starting to fade, and curses and insults were no longer being thrown. The fighters were too tired. Most of the Romans were either lying on the ground bleeding out, or fleeing up Half Blood Hill. Only a few remained, including Mr. and Mrs. Jackson, Thea Grace, Jett Grace, and none other than Julian Ramírez-Arellano. He was standing in a small circle of ice. Belle was reminded that his father was, in fact, the Roman form of the North Wind, Aquilion.

"I swear your mother hates me as much as Hera." Belle said as they reached the bottom of the hill. Belle, who had retrieved her katars, swiveled, so she was watching Paul's back.

"Not nearly that much. She actually likes you. She thinks you're a great friend, but she doesn't particularly care for your father." Paul said, making a jab at the ankle of a Hell Hound. He managed to nick it, and the beast exploded into dust. He turned back and threw a wink to Belle. Belle rolled her eyes.

"She only," she grunted in between words as she dueled a _dracaena_ , obviously not as well trained as the ones they had fought at the top of the hill, "doesn't like him because she met her match in wisdom and cleverness." Paul opened his mouth, but was interrupted by Percy.

"What took you so long?" He shouted to his son.

"Got in some trouble on the right flank. Why's this battle taking so long?" Paul retorted, "I would have thought you'd beaten all of the monsters by now."

"I only work so fast. And if you haven't noticed, I'm essentially standing knee-deep in monster dust!" Percy shouted back, grinning. Paul chortled, and blew a kiss to his mother, who returned the action, and turned back to her current enemy, a Harpy. Belle was just glad she didn't have to face the Harpy.

Belle twirled on her toes, and summoned a weak, flickering sphere of magic in her hand. A Laistrygonian giant loomed behind her and was not intimidated by this faltering magic. Her breath whooshed out of her lungs as the giant raised his club. She scrabbled for her katars but she couldn't get there in time… Multicolored light blasted the giant in the eyes. Belle whirled to see Paris dodging most of the large fights, and coming towards Belle. Her hair was a mess like she had been running her fingers through it, and she kept flinching away from the fires that burned all around her. She drew her hand close to her chest, and then threw it outward sideways. Bright, lighted energy swirled around of her fingers and vaporized a _dracaena_ who was coming at her with a leveled spear. The spear clattered over discarded armor and onto the grass.

"Are you alright?" Paris asked.

"Fine. You?" Belle answered.

"I'm good. Sam," Paris's lips thinned at the mention of the fire wielding boy's name, "Came running up the hill yelling for reinforcements. So that girl who came down and told us about the battle and I stormed the fight."

"Are you alright with the fire though?" Belle asked, pushing a strand of her red hair out of her face. It was coming loose from her ponytail, great chunks of it falling over her cheeks.

"I'll be fine." Paris said, but her voice quavered. She was anything but fine. She kept looking at the flames as if they would leap out and grab her.

"C'mon, let's go help Paul." Belle said.

They made their way across the battlefield with minimal interception. Paris vaporized any small monster that came their way, and Belle cut through a Harpy that tried to attack them. They found Paul fighting near his parents. He was swinging his sword with his left hand, which made his movements clumsy and slow. He struck out at the Hell Hound he was fighting, but the creature just dodged his strike. It leaped at him, and dug its teeth into Paul's leg. He yelled in pain. Paris and Belle exchanged glances, formulating a silent plant of attack, and then moved in on either side of the Hell Hound. Belle jabbed with one of her katars, but was forced into the defensive as the large, black canine lunged at her. This gave Paris the opening that was needed.

She struck with lightning speed, and Belle had to give her credit, for the battlefield medic, she knew how to take care of herself. She summoned a sphere of light in front of the Hell Hound's face, and then hit it in the back with some of her rainbow light. Belle lurched forward and struck, her left katar blade sinking into the Hell Hound's neck. It turned to golden dust immediately.

Belle ran for Paul, who was struggling to sit up.

"I leave you unattended for one minute. One minute, Jackson." She cried.

"I can take care of myself. Don't worry so much about me." Paul replied.

"I have to worry. It's in my nature. I have a condition." She laughed. She didn't know why she was laughing, but this was the first _real_ battle she had ever seen Paul fight in. She'd seen him in practice, and Capture the Flag. But not in a battle where the enemies were aiming to kill. His smile flickered when he saw the worry behind her eyes.

"I'll be fine, Arabelle." He told her seriously.

Belle let out a long breath, her shoulders shaking slightly. Grime had been smeared all over her face, sweat, dust, dirt, monster powder and blood. Her skin looked like paper, but her eyes were still bright. She still had a bit of fight in her. She wiped her forehead with her wrist, and Paul caught the glimpse of the scars that crisscrossed across her forearms.

"I couldn't lose my best friend." Belle said. There was a yelp, and then a _whump!_ Belle and Paul turned, Paul wincing with every movement. They stared at what they saw. Paris had picked up a spear to defend herself from an advancing Laistrygonian, who was lobbing fireballs. Whenever a fireball hit, Paris winced away. Belle rose to help her friend, but one of the fireballs cut them off, burning the grass in between them and Paris. She was in a ring of fire.

Paris's breath came in huge gasps.

 _No, no, no, no, no!_

 _Not now._

 _Not by fire!_

She had promised herself that she wouldn't die by fire, but she didn't seem to have any power left in her. She could barely summon a fizzling light on the tip of her index finger. She looked around her desperately, brandishing the spear to keep the giant away. Smoke was thick in the ring of fire, Paris couldn't breathe. She was suffocating!

 _Slam!_

Something – or rather, someone – slammed into Paris, knocking her through the ring of flames and into the clear. The first thing she noticed was that this person who had knocked her out of the ring of fire had very large feet, and purple high tops.

"Are you alright?" A voice breathed unevenly in her hear. Paris immediately stiffened.

"Why does everyone always ask that?" She rolled out from under her savior. He was a boy, maybe a little older than she was, with tanned skin, a very pointed, angular face and messy dark, chocolate colored hair. He even smelled a little like chocolate beneath the grime of battle. It made her think of her uncle's chocolate shop in South Dakota. The boy's eyes were glittery hazel, almost golden, but not quite. Paris opened her mouth once, twice, three times, but no sound came out. His eyes… they were such a beautiful combination of color! Paris shook herself, she had a habit of admiring color.

"Seriously, are you okay?" The boy asked, getting to his feet. He offered Paris a gentlemanly hand, which she took.

"Yeah, yeah, fine." She said. She leaned forward so she could get a better look at his eyes. The boy blushed slightly as she did so, and pushed her away a bit.

"What, do I have something on my face?" He asked.

"Ah, no. Sorry. Admiring your eyes. I have a habit of doing that. Have you ever seen my friend Paul's eyes? Or perhaps Belle's eyes? Or even Silena's eyes? So gorgeous! I – I should stop talking now." Paris's words came to a halt. The boy in the purple high tops tilted his head slightly. Then, the very corners of his lips quirked up just slightly.

"I'm Jamie." He said. He carried an Imperial Gold staff in his right hand, so he held out his left hand for Paris she shake. She looked at it and smiled. Even though the gesture was a little backwards, it was nice. Even if they were in the middle of a battlefield that was burning… She took his carefully, looking at the large burn on his knuckles. She pulled her hand away like she had been burned herself. Fire! She glanced all around her, there were still large, roaring flames burning. The smoke was still think.

"Um… I know my hand got a little burned saving you, but I don't think that it's that hot." Jamie informed her. Paris waved this away.

"Sorry. It's… it's nothing." She replied. He turned around to face the rest of the monsters. Most of them had fled, but an entire close knit group of giants were still terrorizing Thea Grace. And that was when it all went wrong. One of the Laistrygonians caught sight of Jamie, and in an instant he had been scooped off the ground. The giant began to lumber away from the battle, carrying the Demigod with him.

"Hey!" Paris summoned a weak light and threw it at the giant. She was not letting her savior get carried away. She projected the light at the Laistrygonian. The giant turned around, and stared her in the eye. It looked ferocious. Jamie kicked wildly in the giant's hold, but he couldn't get free. He was held too tight, slung over the giant's shoulder like a sack of potatoes. The Laistrygonian giant outdid itself this time. It literally breathed fire at Paris.

A superheated jet of flames blasted straight for the small daughter or Iris, who stood as still as a statue as if transfixed. Jamie had shouted something like, " _No!_ "

Paralyzed in fear, she couldn't move out of the way of the flames. As she could feel the heat and smell the smoke, she saw the fire part. It split in two, streaming around her in a cascade of oranges, yellow, whites and even some blue. Paris dropped to the ground and covered her ears so she didn't have to hear the roar of the flames. Not again. _Not again._

The fire died away. Paris was sweating from the heat and coughing from the smoke. Her breath was ragged. She knelt of all fours, and felt bile rising in her throat. She was going to throw up. Behind her, she heard a boy's voice excitedly crying, "It worked it worked it worked it worked!" She looked up once, just in time to see the Laistrygonian carrying Jamie lumber into the woods, followed by three other giants – two carrying other campers – the girl who had told them about the attack, Paris was pretty sure her name was Vera or something like that – and a boy who was maybe eighteen. The final giant was the rearguard, setting the forest ablaze as they fled from the scene.

And then Paris lost it.

She threw up.

"London Bridges." Samuel Valdez, usually known as Sam or Sammy, dropped to his knees beside her, and started rubbing her back as she puked out most of that morning's breakfast. Her hands shook, her head drooped and she was exhausted. She needed a rest. Unfortunately, there was not real time to do that.

"Hi Sammy." Paris said between coughs.

"Hey, how are you holding up?" Valdez asked.

"Not well." Paris wheezed.

"You don't look well." Sammy agreed, absently brushing a bit of ash out of Paris's hair. They were like siblings. They got along so well, even if Sammy was a bit of a scaredy-cat sometimes. He too was afraid of fire and burning things, and yet could control the thing he hated the most. He was also afraid of heights, bugs, tornadoes, wasps, bullfighting, home improvement stores, fire ants, and Wal-Mart.

"You parted the fire for me?" Paris asked, before she threw up. Sammy patted her back a bit until she sat back up. Surprisingly, throw up was one of the few things he wasn't afraid of.

"'Course," He said modestly, "I couldn't have my step-sister getting torched, could I?" They exchanged smiles at the old joke. They had long since decided that they were sort of step-siblings. They had formed that kind of bond, so why not make it official? Belle had been there, and so had Auden. They'd been a testimony that it had actually happened. Paris unsteadily got to her feet, and surveyed the destruction that the battle had caused. They were going to have to do a lot of Mist manipulation to explain this one to the rural farm owners in the area. Paris made her way over to the nearest fallen Roman. He was surrounded by a circle of ice, and with a start (and a blush), Paris realized it was Julian Ramírez-Arellano. She couldn't deny the fact that he was very good looking. His skin was a mixture between Hispanic and very, very Caucasian. He looked sort of like a mocha almost. His hair was dark black, a bit shaggy as always, and his eyes, when they were opened, were deep blue. Blood was smeared across his side, but he didn't look badly injured. A lump was forming on the top of his head from where he had been knocked out. Paris felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Sammy watching Belle, Silena and Paul approach. Cecil and Auden were lingering next to Katie Stoll, Cecil's mother. She must've been visiting and staying in the Hermes Cabin, and Paris must've missed her at breakfast.

Cecil caught sight of Julian lying on the ground, and said something to her mother. Katie Stoll looked generally disinterested at the mention of Julian. Auden and Cecil hurried over, passing Belle and Silena who were helping Paul walk.

"Is he alright?" Cecil hit the ground, skidding forward on her knees and staining her jeans. Paul, Belle and Silena limped over.

"Is Jules going to die?" Paul sounded rather indifferent.

"No." Paris said.

"He's not alright?" Cecil wailed. Paris and Belle exchanged glances. They both knew that she would never be this distraught if Auden had been lying on the ground. She probably wouldn't have even come over. Paris felt a pang of guilt for Paris. She had a crush on a boy back home, in Oregon. A big crush. Sometimes, she was willing to look through his faults due to the amount she liked him. Besides, Cecil didn't have that many faults. She was nice most of the time, though she had a hard time biting back the occasional snarky comment. She was a bit of a flirt, yes, but she seemed to have her eyes only for Julian. It sometimes sent the wrong message to people around her. But she cared for everyone on the inside, was, was brave and loyal, and didn't break promises.

"He _is_ going to die?" Now Paul sounded excited.

"No. I mean yes. I mean, no. Argh. Yes, he'll be fine. No, Paul, he isn't going to die." Paris articulated carefully.

"Good." Cecil let out a shaking breath.

"Hmm," Paris hummed, pressing her hands into Julian's bloody side. He gasped, his eyes opened and grabbed either side of Paris's face. She recoiled at the touch, Julian was not known for physical contact. Cecil shot Paris a jealous look, and secretly, the Indian girl was glad Auden couldn't see it. She liked Auden. She didn't want his heart broken, even if it wasn't Cecil's intentions. Paris wasn't entirely sure how aware Cecil was about her open feelings for Julian, "Oh! There was a troupe of Laistrygonians. They kidnapped three Romans!" Paris suddenly remembered. Belle and Paul looked at each other.

"Oh," Belle said, "Oh _no._ "

 **And thus ends Chapter Three. The length of chapters will vary, however it'll usually be between the length of Chapter Two and this chapter. Just so that the readers know. I want the chapters to be more satisfying if you have to wait a week for them. Besides, I always enjoy reading longer chapters in stories.**

 **A couple of notes on the chapter:**

 **Paris is deathly afraid of fire. For reasons to be revealed later, she has a large fear of it, but she's also incredibly brave. That's how she managed to come down on the battlefield in the first place. Vera McStrife A.K.A. Roman-Vanilla-Coffee-Girl came with her, and, as you saw, got kidnapped.**

 **Annabeth isn't the fondest of Belle. Sure they get along, but the older woman doesn't approve of Belle's attitude sometimes, and Belle hates the fact that Annabeth is super condescending to her. When Belle first met Annabeth, the younger also offended her on accident.**

 **Cecil and Belle actually do get along, but like all friends, they butt heads on occasion. This has been happening more and more recently as they get older. Cecil is actually pretty nice, but she's not good at hiding her feelings. She, as Auden noted in her voice, doesn't have a lot of emotions. But she really cares for Julian a lot, and she does notice Auden on occasion. She just doesn't notice that he likes her. Belle, Paris, Paul, Silena, and a few other know about Auden's crush on Cecil, but he's fairly good at hiding it.**

 **Auden has a list of identifying factors for people. Belle's is actually longer than the one listed in the chapter, and more of that is talked about later. I imagine, seeing as he can't see, he likes to make note of different things about people – the way they smell, the way their footsteps sound, the way they talk etc.**

 **Review Responses** **:**

 _ **Revenge77**_ **: Thank you so, so, so much! I really appreciate you taking the time to review!**

 _ **Hermionico**_ **: First of all, thank you for reviewing! And thank you for the positive feedback! I would be okay if you wrote me a demigod for the contest. Go ahead and give it a shot, I would enjoy seeing your character. If I enjoy it, then he/she might get added into the story either later on or in the next part (This is not a standalone, spoilers). Sound good?**

 **Thank you all who reviewed, and those who are enjoying it so far. Tell me what you think of Arabelle, and the other characters, what you predict pairings to be, how you feel about the plot (Which hasn't really taken off yet, but still, stuff is happening that will be important for future!)**

 **PR**


	5. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

In Which Paris Leads a Rescue Operation

 _I don't know how the Romans could be stupid enough to get themselves kidnapped! And why only three? Trust me, my brain has been going non-stop since it happened, and I can't come up with an explanation. I'm stumped for once. Wow, I never thought I'd say that. Anywho, most of the Romans are safe, for now. But this begs the question, and I'm not sure anyone has the answer for it, why were they attacked in the first place? And why so close to Camp borders?_

Belle was not one to freak out after the small Capture the Flag skirmishes. But this? This was completely different. She sat, dully, on the porch to the Big House. Belle perched on the rickety railing, her legs dangling down above the Demeter Cabin's rhododendrons. The peeling blue paint had flaked off onto the faded deck boards where Mia Douglass, daughter of Khione, leaned against the side of the house. Auden, who merely had a scrape on the side of his face, sat in the deck swing with Cecil, gently rocking back and forth. All was silent.

Paris and Paul were upstairs in the infirmary with Emily Zhang, David McCarthy, Rhona Macdonald, Esperanza Valdez, Cody Blaire, Julian, many of the other Romans, and Luka Rodriguez. Silena was in the shower, getting a quick rinse. The adults were having a war council. Their voices would occasionally drift out the open windows to Belle and the other assembled demigods.

"…not involved…"

"…no sense…"

"…mysterious attacks and mysterious kidnappings always mean trouble…"

Belle scuffed the heel of her show against the railing, and turned her attention toward the ocean. In the distance, she could see the slate gray water swelling, crashing on the sandy beach, and then receding, before repeating the process. A steady wind picked up, rolling clouds in from the east. Slowly, the sun dimmed. Yet it didn't rain.

"We should have been able to beat them." Auden was the first person to speak since they had gotten back from the battle. When the adults had gotten everything under control, Mrs. Jackson had come running over, and then taken Paul immediately to the infirmary. He had tried to argue, but for once, Belle had agreed with his mother. He needed medical attention, _badly._ They had all traipsed back down the hill, Paris telling Percy, Chiron and Frank Zhang about the kidnapping of the Romans.

Belle, though she had once been hungry, was no more. Her hunger had subsided, or at least, she was too sick to eat. Auden had offered her a protein bar, but she had taken one bite and not finished it. It tasted like ash to her, dry and flaking in her mouth. She now clutched the nibbled-on bar in her fist.

"Should have. But we didn't." Mia Douglass said miserably, scuffing her own foot on the wooden porch.

"I know that. It seems pretty obvious. But, what I mean is, we're all well trained. We should have been able to fight the monsters no problem. Instead, we got creamed. Hey, Cecil, Belle, Paul and I nearly lost to ten or twelve _dracaena_." Auden said. Belle didn't have the heart to add anything to the conversation. Her stomach was churning uncomfortably. She felt like shew as going to be sick. They had lost a battle on their home turf. They had even let three Romans get kidnapped. As much as she didn't care for the Romans, she wasn't about to let them get kidnapped and probably eaten by from Laistrygonians.

"I don't think it matters no." Cecil jumped in. She leaned her head back so she was looking at the ceiling – the cover over the porch was made from wood, with faded paint on it, and several rude graffiti signs curtesy of Hermes Cabin.

"I just… I feel like we should be doing something to help them right now." Auden said. He turned towards Belle, but she had no answers for him. She simply shrugged, before remembering he couldn't see.

"I'm shrugging right now, Auden." She told him. Auden pulled a face, but did not comment.

"I think he's right though. It feels like we need to do something to help those poor kidnapped Romans," Mia said, "Before they become dinner." She added darkly. Belle had to agree with Mia on that account. The Romans who had been kidnapped were certainly in great danger. Except, the thing was, Belle didn't know how to help them. She wasn't about to charge out there with a small rescue party of four, try to free them, and get back before the adults noticed they were gone.

"… _Not listening! We have to help them! We can't leave them for dead._ " Nico's voice echoed through the open windows. Auden blanched. Mia bit her lip, straining her ears to hear what came next. Chiron's voice was calm, steady and soft, near impossible to hear.

"I know how you are feeling Nico, but we can't go charging in there. Almost all of the Romans are injured or missing, and most of my Campers are exhausted. The few who are without injury are sitting out there, or helping the injured upstairs. We ourselves can't go either unfortunately. The gods will want to see my immediately about this battle, and all of you need to stay here, where you can help the wounded Romans." Chiron stated.

"I didn't think that you would shy away from a fight Chiron." This time it was Percy talking, and he sounded angry.

"Percy, please. You have to understand my logic here. Three lives, versus the lives of all of the wounded upstairs, who need urgent medical care. Being part of this Camp, I have to make hard decisions, and my word is final. No one goes after the Romans without my permission." Chiron sounded concerned, and a little upset. Belle realized that he had been forced to make a hard call on this, and he didn't like it any more than the parents.

"Those Romans, Vera, Marley and Jamie, are going to be dinner!" Nico's voice was raised again. There was the loud scraping of a chair, and all on the porch knew that Nico had angrily risen to his feet.

"Would you send Auden in there?" Chiron's voice was suddenly sharp, "Would you send him? He's one of the few campers left in fighting condition, so he'd be in that rescue party!" There was silence for a minute, and when the voices resumed talking again, they were too quiet to hear. Even Auden's keen ears couldn't pick it up. But he had stiffened. Chiron had just said something that made him angry. He hated it when Nico and his other sort-of-dad Will babying him. He didn't need to be babied. He was a capable young man, who could take care of himself in combat. And now, Chiron was using his name to stop Nico from doing something rash but heroic. His name had been invoked to stop his sort-of-dad from saving three Romans from death. A hand touched his wrist.

"Auden and I will go see, he has the best hearing, and I have the best memory. We'll listen in to the conversation." It was Cecil talking.

"Technically –" Mia put in.

"Yeah, yeah. But I have the best memory, _here._ " Cecil grumbled. She laced her fingers with Auden and rose to her feet. Belle spared them a glance. Cecil hated how pale she looked. In the watery sunlight that had penetrated through the storm cloud above them, Belle looked like a ghost. Her cheeks seemed hollow, her skin like snow, her eyes tired. Her red hair hung messily around her face, and her freckles stood out sharply against her cheeks.

"We're going to spy on the adults?" Auden asked, confused.

"Yep. We've gotta break a few rules now and then." Cecil said, giving Auden a wink. She didn't even care that he couldn't see it.

.o0O0o.

Paris was not doing well. Her palms were stained with blood, and her legs ached from running up and down the stairs, around the Big House, and about the infirmary. She was breathless, exhausted, and her skin looked unusually ashen. Her heart still pounded with fear from the fire scares she had had on the battlefield. All in all, Paris was lagging.

"You alright?" Paul coughed from his bed as Paris passed. He was trying to sit up, so the dark haired girl marched over, placed her hands on his shoulders, and pushed him back down. Paul dissolved into a fit of coughing. So far his diagnosis was a broken wrist, several bruised ribs from nestle tumble he had taken when fighting a Harpy, several bleeding cuts, and a bite wound on the leg from a Hell Hound. Paris knew that he was not doing well either, but they'd already given him as much Ambrosia and Nectar as was safe. His wounds were starting to close, and the bleeding had stopped, but it would take several weeks to heal properly.

"Just fine, thanks, Paul. Just breathless. Will has had me running around here like crazy." Paris said, realizing how flushed she must look. She pushed some of her hair out of her right eye. She didn't go near her left eye.

"How's Belle? And Silena? And Auden?" Paul asked. He tried to sit up once more, but again, Paris pushed him back down, clicking her tongue.

"No, sir, you do not get to get up yet. You have several bruised ribs, three to be exact. Now, Belle and Auden are fine, they're sitting with Mia and Cecil on the porch down below. Maybe Mr. Solace will let you see them later. I think Silena is trying to drown herself in the shower." Paris pursed her lips slightly. Paul let out a pained sigh, and weakly patted Paris's arm.

"You're a really good nurse. More Ambrosia?" Paul begged.

"No. You'll probably spontaneously combust if we give you any more. I wish I could give you more to speed the healing process, but in reality, that isn't safe. Tomorrow we'll give you another dose, just to be safe and help you get better faster. You'll be out of here by the weekend. But no, no more now." Paris shook her head.

"Not even a bite?" Paul wheedled.

"No. Not even a bite. You just want more because it tastes good to you." Paris suddenly accused. Paul cracked a wavering smile, and rolled his shoulders. He winced, as if this action hurt him as well.

"Tastes like licorice, the kind from the candy store down the street from our place in San Fran. It's fresh, warm, gooey and good. So good. It's the best thing I've ever tasted. There is no other licorice like it." Paris smiled, knowing full well how strained it must look. She reached forward and checked Paul's temperature just to make sure there was no infection in his bite wound.

"Next fall, you can take me there. I'm thinking about heading to high school in New Rome next year. Then, you can share with me your San Fran licorice." Paris said.

"Don't you want to go to high school in a normal, non-demigod place?" Paul questioned.

"No, thank you. I would rather embrace this part of my life. Running away from it doesn't change it. I'm a demigod, through and through, and I have to accept that. The more I deny it and try not to train, the more danger I am actually in. I just need to be ready for whatever comes. That doesn't mean I can't be normal either. Just because I have a part of my life that other kids don't really have doesn't stop me from having mortal friends." Paris explained.

"People think you don't know anything, and that you're an airhead sometimes, but I don't think so. You're one of the smartest people I know." Paul told her. Paris smile again, still strained.

"Thank you Paul." She said sincerely. She wasn't sure whether to find that insulting or complementary, so she simply chose the latter. It was better to see the good in people, and people's good inventions, then it was to see the bad. Whenever she looked for the negative in people, it always made her a worse person. It made her feel horridly guilty. When she had been little and her father had been considering remarriage, she had done this to every single one of the women he had dated. It had made her feel so horrible. She had though it would make her feel better to take her anger out on someone, see the worst in them, but it didn't. It didn't make her feel good at all. From that day forward, she had tried to see the best in people.

"I really mean it. You're really wonderful," Paul said, "I'm really glad you're Belle's friend, you're a good influence on her. Of course, your good influence is outweighed by my bad one, however…"

" _Au contraire,_ Paul. I think my good influence has a bigger effect on her!" Paris argued.

"Going back to your roots?" Paul joked.

"Only the roots of my name." Paris countered. She turned away, getting ready to head to the next person who needed attention, Luka Rodriguez.

"What does it taste like for you? The Ambrosia?" Paul suddenly asked. Paris paused, and turned back to him, watching his face carefully.

"That is a secret." She said, winking, before disappearing to the Luka's bedside. He was lying, looking pale but determined not to cry. There were large gashes running down his arm, across his chest, and up his neck. He had already managed to stain the sheets red. His stringy brown hair was pasted to his forehead with sweat, and no amount of nectar seemed to be helping him. Will Solace was standing next to Luka, smearing silver paste on the boy's wounds. When Luka saw Paris, he gave her a weak smile, but his smile flickered, faltered and was replaced by a look of excruciating pain.

"Alright there, London Bridges?" Luka asked, fisting the sheets in his hands, and gritting his teeth. Paris gave him a sour look. When Sammy used that nickname, it was okay. When Luka used it, she didn't like it.

"Let me, Mr. Solace. You can go ahead and take care of David." David McCarthy was looking beaten and battered, covered in purple bruises that were starting to turn green and yellow. He was sitting, not lying in one of the infirmary beds, seeing as they were all full, in a chair near the door. Paris went to work, rolling up her bright blue sleeves and taking the silver paste from Mr. Solace. She smeared it across Luka's shoulder, rubbing it in like she would rub in lotion. Luka watched her warily.

"You know, if you think about it, this is awkward, you rubbing my chest like this." Luka commented.

"This is between a doctor and her patient, Luka, not between two friends," Paris chided, "And I'm rubbing your shoulder, not your chest."

"But you volunteered for this job. What, couldn't keep your hands off of me?" Luka teased. Paris's face turned a little pink, remembering once that she had had a crush on this rude boy, despite the fact he was two years younger than her. She, knowing the paste was cold, poured a large blob of it onto his chest. Immediately, Luka stiffened and shuddered.

"Look," Paris said, going about rubbing the silver paste in the cuts, "This paste was given to the Apollo Cabin as a gift from Apollo himself, and Will has been left in charge of it. It helps heal poisons, bleeding injuries and infections. It is very precious, and if I didn't have to be using it on you, I wouldn't be. But Will needed to take care of David and the others, so…"

"You were perfectly capable of taking care of him yourself." Luka pointed out.

"I thought Will would be better at it." Paris said, not meeting Luka's eyes, but instead continuing to rub the silver paste into the cuts. The bleeding had begun to lessen, and now the wounds were beginning to scab over at an alarming rate. The paste also congealed blood very quickly, Paris suddenly remembered. She picked up her pace.

"Yeah, we'll go with that. You just like hanging out with me," Luka said with some satisfaction. Paris said nothing, "Hah! Silence is consent!" Luka said triumphantly.

"Whoever said that was daft." Paris muttered. It was so strange how Luka could pull out the nastiness inside of her.

"It was Sir Thomas Moore." Luka sounded vaguely offended.

"Oh. Well, oops." Paris felt her cheeks grow warm, and not just due to the warmth of the room. She reached up and wiped her forehead with the back of her arm, it was steaming in the infirmary. Steaming. Heat. Fire. Smoke.

 _Death._

Paris let out a shaky breath. It was like the walls were closing in around, her, the ceiling coming down to squish her flat, and everything was ablaze… Someone slapped her across the face, and her eyesight came into focus again. Luka was watching her with a mixture of fear and resigned annoyance. She reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze.

"I know you think I'm a little bit of a controlling jerk sometimes, but I do actually care what happens to you. Perhaps you need to take a break and get some rest yourself. You're looking a little worse for wear. No buts, I want you to go downstairs and take a nap on the porch swing until Will calls you back and needs you desperately." Luka commanded.

"He always needs me desperately. These days, no one wants to be a healer. They all want to be soldiers." Paris said calmly.

"You're still in shock over the battle and watching the Romans get kidnapped, and you're exhausted. You haven't sat down since we got back to the Big House. Please, take a rest?" Luka asked. Paris looked at him for a long moment, before sighing. She nodded.

"Ten minutes." She said.

On the way down the stairs, Paris met Auden and Cecil, creeping along hand in hand. She thought, from the redness of Auden's face and how flushed Cecil was, that they were sneaking off to have a quiet moment together, but then she stopped. Cecil did not like Auden. She liked Julian, the boy who was currently sitting upstairs, reading a _Lord of the Flies_ while Will tended to his wounds, alone. Paris felt a pang of guilt. Maybe she should go back up and start helping in the infirmary again. But something that Luka had said had hit home. She was exhausted – ready to drop. The battle, the fear, the usage of her powers, it had all taken quite a bit out of her. She needed at least a ten minute catnap.

But Cecil and Auden stopped her. She paused, hidden in the shadows of the stairwell. Her eyes darted across hall, and immediately she blanched. She could hear voices drifting from the main room of the Big House. It was the war council that Cecil and Auden were trying to listen to. She shrank away, indecision cutting through her. It was wrong to eavesdrop. She would hate it if someone eavesdropped on her while she was talking about something important. And yet… something gave her pause to think about if it was really wrong. It was Nico's irritated tones, and Chiron's scolding. With a start, Paris came to the realization that Chiron had no intention of saving the boy who had saved her, or the other two. From what Chiron was saying it sounded like he was just going to let them die. Paris's heart nearly stopped. How? How could Chiron, the trainer of all heroes, be alright with letting even _one_ get killed?

"…Styx that you will not go after the Campers that we lost to the Laistrygonians." Chiron was saying. Paris felt ill. She wanted to turn around and run from the place, yet something rooted her to the spot. She only figured out what is was later – the desire to help the lost Campers, even though Chiron was willing to sacrifice them, let them perish at the hands of the giants. Besides, one of them had saved her life. It was time she returned the favor. She heard the adults murmuring that they swore on the River Styx not to lead a rescue operation. Then, thunder rumbled in the distance and a slow rain started to fall outside. Chiron cleared his throat from within the room.

"It is time. I must go to Olympus. Percy, Nico, Annabeth, if you would accompany me." Chiron said.

"I can drive us!" Percy sounded excited.

"No, thank you, Percy, Argus will drive us. It will be much safer for all of us if you do not get behind the wheel." Chiron said, but he sounded defeated. Paris knew the thought of leaving the Campers in the hands of the Laistrygonian was torture for him. She knew that he had wrestled with the decision, but it didn't make it right. She straightened her shoulders, shrinking into the shadows of the stairwell as Nico, Percy, Annabeeth and Chiron came out of the main room of the Big House. Cecil and Auden vanished into a corner, Paris could barely see through a Glamour Cecil was using to keep them hidden. Useful Hermes tricks.

Once Paris was sure that Chiron and the others were out on the deck, saying their goodbyes to the remaining Campers there, she came down the stairs, and peered at Cecil and Auden. It was harder to see them from this angle, except for when she looked out of the corner of her eye. The two were pressed up together, squished in the corner.

"Paris?" Auden asked suddenly, breaking Cecil's concentration. Paris was still slightly freaked out about how Auden was able to do that. How he could tell it was here by the sound of her footsteps, or the way she hummed slightly when she walked, or maybe by the smell of her hair. All of the ways that he determined who was who. It was interesting, but also a bit creepy, Paris had to be honest. She wasn't sure she liked how Auden remembered all the little details about her. Her brother, Maddox had been blind, and he had never been able to do that.

"Yeah, it's me." Paris said.

"Were you eavesdropping too?" Cecil sounded mildly interested.

"No. Well, yes, but accidentally. I was coming down to take a nap. Anyway," Paris said, embarrassed. She was usually a rule follower. She rarely did anything that was against them. She was a goody-two-shoes as some might say. She felt her cheeks grow warm, not for the first time that day.

"We were just trying to hear the plans about rescuing those kidnapped campers." Cecil said. The murmur of voices in the war room hadn't died down, however they were fewer adults, and they weren't paying as much attention.

"We should go out onto the deck" Auden spoke, taking Cecil by the hand and pulling her along. He ran one hand along the wall, following the hall that they had used to get in Paris trailed behind them, watching them. Out of all the boys at Camp, how come Cecil had chosen Julian? Auden was better suited to her. So why Julian? Paris contemplated this as she and the other two emerged onto the deck. There was a sort of fresh, salty scent in the air, signaling a powerful storm blowing in from the sea. Belle was perched on the railing of the Big House, looking out over the water, a half-eaten granola bar clutched in her fist. Auden walked over and leaned against the railing.

"You seem deep in though." He commented. Belle jumped, she hadn't been playing close attention. She had been spacing out, again. She remembered what Paul had said that very morning. It would end up getting her in major trouble if she didn't work on correcting it. It was just that she was so tired, and it helped her recuperate her energy. She wasn't expending any thinking about anything, she was just sitting, relaxing, zoning out. That was why she was so fond of it. That was why, despite what Paul said about the dangers of it, she didn't want to stop.

"Not really. I wasn't thinking about anything. How can you do that? You didn't see my face." She pointed out. Paris had strolled over and was now talking to Mia and Cecil in a low voice.

"I don't know. You weren't saying anything, you weren't really rustling around. I could hear your breathing though," Auden said, "It was relaxed, even, and steady, like you weren't doing anything at all."

"Over the sound of the wind? And the ocean? And Mia, Cecil and Paris's conversation? Nah. There is no way you heard my breathing." Belle argued. She reached up with her hand to brush her hair out of her face, and realized that she still had a bar in one of her hands. She felt her face flush. It seemed rude that she had taken it from Auden and not eaten in. So she now took a bite. It still wasn't good, and her stomach still writhed like a pit of snakes, yet it tasted a little bit better. Belle took it as a sign – her shock was starting to fade, leaving exhaustion in its place. Her adrenaline had slowly seeped away.

"It's hard to explain. It's not that I feel you – or your breathing. It's almost as if I simply know where you are. Like, for example, you haven't moved your knee, and yet," Auden reached forward and tapped her knee with his knuckles, "I know where it is. I have no idea how it works, but it's one of the few reasons monsters haven't ripped me to shreds. Yes, I rely heavily on hearing. That's why I'm more of a duelist, not one for big battles, but even when I can't hear as well…" Auden trailed off. Belle bit her bottom lip, frowning.

"Do you think it's anything to do with your godly parent?" Belle question.

"My godly parent is Nemesis. I highly doubt it," Auden said bitterly. He felt some of Belle's hairs tickle his hand. They must be frizzy on top, he concluded, "Your hair is sticking up." He reached forward absently, and pushed some of the hairs on the top of Belle's head down. It looked like he was patting the crown of her head, which was the most inopportune moment for Cecil to turn around, her mouth open, and about to launch into a plan. She stopped, and shot Belle an irritated look. Belle frowned. Perhaps Cecil was more aware of Auden's crush on her than she thought. The muscles in her shoulders tensed. She sensed a conversation between Cecil, Silena, Paris and her about boys coming in the very near future. Paris pushed past Cecil, taking charge.

"Everyone, grab your weapons, and some snacks, because we are going on a rescue mission. We have to save the kidnapped campers~"

.o0O0o.

Marley could not believe his luck. It was literally the worst. The only person who even compared to Marley with back luck was the famous Percy Jackson himself. Marley was sure that he had ten times worse luck than Mr. Jackson though. Since he had woken up that morning, he had been attacked, pummeled, pounded, sliced, sashed, kidnapped, jostled, nearly killed and beaten up by a horde of _dracaena_. Was it a horde? A herd? Pack? Gaggle? Murder?

Marley went with murder. It was a murder of _dracaena_.

Similar to a murder of crows, except tenfold more dangerous.

He hadn't been expecting to get captured either. He had been fighting when Vera (Who they had sent ahead to warn the Greeks), had come back down into the battle with an Indian looking girl with short and spikey dark hair. He had gotten distracted, just for a second and the Harpy he had been fighting had hit him over the head. When he had come to, he was being carried like a sack of potatoes, being bounced off the smelly orange back of a Laistrygonian giant. The crash of falling branches filled his ears, and the crackle of fire and scent of smoke confirmed what Marley had originally thought. The giants had set the forest ablaze. Covering up what had happened would be no field day. Marley almost pitied Chiron and the mysterious Mr. D who were the amp Half Blood leaders.

Personally, Marley had never met Mr. D, and from what he had heard, he wasn't sure that he wanted to. Mr. D sounded like a self-centered man whose only interests were alcohol and parties. He had never been at Camp when Marley had come visiting from New Rome. He lived year round at Camp Jupiter, and when he was feeling up to it, would go with the Romans to visit Camp Half Blood. The expedition there had set out early this year, and Marley was regretting his choice to come – or let Vera come.

Currently, Vera was lying, still passed out, next to him, her wrists and ankles bound with coarse rope. The other boy who had been kidnapped, Jamie, wasn't very talkative. He had been tied up with thick pieces of leather. Marley, like Vera, was bound, and sitting against a non-burning tree. The three Laistrygonians who had kidnapped them were talking in hushed voices across the clearing they had made camp in. Marley had no idea how far they were from the other Romans, but he had resigned himself to whatever cruelty the Laistrygonians had planned for him. Vera suddenly let out a gasp, and her whole form shook. She sat up, looking confused.

"Wha-" She cried.

"Calm down Vera. We're in a Laistrygonian encampment, and those guys over there are planning on the best way to eat us." Marley, motioning with his tied hands to the giants.

"Yes, I think they're planning to squash us into jelly," Jamie said calmly. When neither Vera nor Marley laughed, Jamie shook his head, "No one understands my joke." He said, rather depressed.

From across the clearing, one of the Laistrygonians looked over at them. His face contorted into a sneer when he saw that they were all awake. He was possibly the ugliest of the lot. His face looked like hit had been bashed multiple times with a large club. It was lopsided and covered in bruises. He had huge, bulging muscles that were shown off by the fact he had minimal clothing on, only a ragged, dirty, loincloth. Marley did his best to cover Vera's eyes, put she craned her neck past his tied hands to get a good view of what was happening.

"You're awake, good." The giant growled, his voice low and rumbling. The thinner Laistrygonian behind him (who looked more like a stick figure) piped up in a higher, squeakier voice.

"Can we eat 'em now Boss? I like the 'live, 'wake 'uns. I like how they scream!" The little one cackled. Marley felt his stomach flip flop. Sure he should have been expecting a death sentence, but still, the idea of seeing Vera eaten alive would probably give him nightmares for years to come.

"No! There will be no eating! We need these ones alive!" The larger Laistrygonian said.

"But Boss, I'm sure the Commander-In-Chief 'ouldn't miss jus' 'un!" Complained the smaller one.

"I said no, and that is my final word. Now, which of these kiddies do we take for questioning first?" The giant, who was obviously the leader of the three, cried in annoyance.

"The girl. They always break easiest!" The third Laistrygonian said, coming over He was considerably shorter and stockier than the other two, with broader shoulders, but fewer bulging muscles than the first one. He had a severe under bite, so he vaguely resembled a bulldog.

"Nah. I'd take the boy 'stead." The second said.

"Which one?" Argued the third, "If ya haven't noticed, there are two of them!"

"The older 'un o' course!" The second Laistrygonian spat.

"Which one is the older one?" The first Laistrygonian demanded, turning to the other two. They both fell silent from their bickering at once, and the second one pointed to Marley.

"No!" Vera's yell rent the air.

"Vera, please stay out of this. Besides, it's just an interrogation. They said they were just going to ask questions. If I can answer them-" Marley started.

"I will not stay out of it! Asking questions on a Laistrygonian giant scale means torture Marley Jameson! I will not have it!" She directed the last part at the giants. They all exchanged bemused glances, like they weren't used to prisoners being so stubborn, and then they shrugged in unison.

"Our plans can be adjusted." The Boss said. He lunged forward and scooped Vera up in one fist.

"Oi! What about me?! Have you forgotten your third prisoner?" Jamie had gotten to his feet. He shuffle-hopped forward, "Come on, why I can't be taken for questioning? I bet there'll be suffering and pain. How I love suffering and pain." Marley looked at Jamie in awe. He hadn't pegged this guy as the brave type. Though tall, Jamie was skinny. Sure he had muscles, but his angular face and skinner shoulders made Marley peg him as more of the sly, back of the battle type. And yet… the tall boy rose to his full height, looking intimidating. Marley let out a sigh of relief, maybe they'd take Jamie instead of Vera. The giants looked at each other. Then, the boss slurred,

"We'll start with the girl." With that, they turned and headed across the camp and into a thicket. They crashed through the briar and bramble, and their large forms vanished as if into thin air. They were completely hidden from prying eyes. The boys could only hear raised voices, but only muffled. They couldn't make out exact words. On occasion, Marley thought he caught a word, but he couldn't be sure. Something about Death himself, and other related stuff. Marley wasn't sure why they were asking that line of questions, and to be honest, he didn't care. He'd rather be in the thicket than have Vera be in the thicket. He was, in short, panicking. It was probably Jamie who pulled him out of it. The dark haired boy was bending over, a frown firmly on his face, trying to get his ankles free from the bindings around them. He wasn't doing too well, his fingers kept slipping on the bonds as he tried to grab ahold of them. Marley shook himself. They could rescue Vera in a minute, they just had to get free of their bonds first. Marley looked for something on the ground to help cut the ropes with, but he found nothing. He got to his feet and started hopping along the edge of the clearing, hoping he could find something.

It was then that he saw the eyes, bright, multicolored eyes standing out against the darkness of a bush. He couldn't see the full face that contained the eyes, but from the slant of them he was sure they the person in the bush was female. The eyes simply watched the scene fold out, tilting to the side slowly. They narrowed slightly.

"Psst. Psst. Hey, you. Do you have a knife on you?" Marley asked, glancing back at the thicket that the Laistrygonians had retreated into. When he looked back at the bush, the eyes were gone, but a celestial bronze knife sat quivering in the earth. Marley had never really dealt with celestial bronze before. Usually, the Romans used Imperial Gold weapons. He himself had a silver bow and black arrows, which were nowhere to be seen in the giant's camp. But Marley didn't care about that. He picked up the knife and started rubbing the edge of the blade against his wrist bindings. Just then, he heard Vera scream, a long, drawn out scream that rent the heavens and earth.

Vera _never_ screamed.

Marley's entire form stiffened, and across the clearing Jamie leapt up with a shout.

"Vera!" Marley yelped. He cut his bonds on his wrists, and with one simple swipe, had freed his ankles. He ran for the thicket, only to have his rescue go horridly wrong. The stringy Laistrygonian had emerged, carrying Vera on his shoulder. He tossed her down carelessly, not caring that she landed like a ragdoll, and now struggled to sit at all upright. One of her legs was bent at a strange angle which told Marley one thing – the Laistrygonian's had broken it. Rage filled him. How dare they touch his sister! Well, step-sister, technically, but that didn't stop Marley from being protective of her. He had the sudden urge to rend the giants limb from limb, a very silly urge indeed seeing as he only had one measly dagger, and he didn't even fight with a blade. The giant noticed the knife that Marley had. With a simple move, the weapon had been knocked from his hand and sent flying into the bushes surrounding the clearing. Jamie exchanged glances with Marley.

"Ooh, this 'um thought he'd pull a darin' 'scape on us. Sorry to disappoint you, but your comin' with me!" The Laitrygonian growled, and snatched Marley up in his fist. Vera, who had only been dazed, started to regain her sense of direction. She rolled onto her back, and stared as her brother was dragged into the thicket that she had just been in.

"Mors!" She screamed, "Mors! They want-" But her words were cut off by the thicket closing around them. It was like it had grown into a perfect circle, big enough for three Laistrygonains to sit down, blocking all exits. The ground and walls of this circle were spikey brambles, and several cut Marley's cheeks and hands on the way into the thicket. It was like they were reaching for his exposed skin, trying to cut him into ribbons. He wondered if they were enchanted vines, but shook his head. Laistrygonians couldn't enchant thickets to become vile, evil, and murderous. Sure, Demeter and Persephone could probably do that, but not simple-minded, orange skinned giants. Marley was thrown onto the thorny ground.

"So, what do you want with me?" Marley asked as casually as possible. The stringy, and the broad shouldered one looked at their muscular boss, who narrowed his eyes.

"Your mind tricks won't work on us, Lad. I suggest you stop them right now." The boss said, leaning in so that his rancid, rotting breath blew all of Marley's face. Marley resisted the urge to take two, large steps back.

"No, no mind tricks for me. I'm just a humble demigod who got captured by some mean, ugly giants." Marley said coolly. The stringy one shot to his feet.

" _Boss_ ," He whined, "He's still doin' 'em!"

"Never mind that now, you idiot. Let's just interrogate him and have done with it. If we need to, we can give him the same treatment as the girl." The leader said. The three Laistrygonian's cackled like mad.

"Let's break his arms though, I love it when they scream when their arms are broken!" The broad-shouldered Laistrygonian said between cackles. Marley felt sick to the stomach. Of course they were debating the best way to torture him. But still, it made his stomach do a flip-flop. He felt like throwing of the meager breakfast that he had been able to wolf down. He turned around slowly, taking in all three of them. He couldn't take them all down in a fight, not on his own. Maybe with Jamie and a fully healthy Vera, they could take down two, but none of them had any weapons. The knife had been knocked away, and he hadn't seen exactly where it had skittered off to.

Above them, through the foliage, the sunlight dimmed and thunder cracked loudly. A powerful storm was brewing. A breeze penetrated through the thicket, fresh, salty and fishy. The ocean. The storm would blow over Camp Half Blood before it got to them. Then, Marley caught the faintest whiff of something else on the breeze. Cinnamon and cheap perfume.

"So, you are the son of Thanatos?" The lead Laistrygonan growled. Marley took a moment to place the name. Thanatos… Greek personification of death! But… Marley's brain stared to short-circuit. He wasn't the son of Thanatos. He was the son of Nox, the goddess of the night. Why would they think he was the son of the god of death?

"No, you must've gotten something wrong. My mother is Nox, goddess of darkness." Marley said, thinking fast. He had to get out of here, but he only realized his mistake after the words had left his mouth. Now that they knew who his mother really was, there was nothing stopping them from killing him. But the giants simply laughed.

"This 'un is a slippery 'un! 'E wants to trick us into believin' he ain't son of Thanatos." The skinny Laistrygonian cackled.

"Yeah. We wouldn't fall for that. We ain't stupid!" Said the third, broad-shouldered Laistrygonian. Then they all laughed again. Marley was stuck, opening and closing his mouth like a fish.

"Why do you want a child of Thanatos?" He settled on asking. All of the giants immediately stopped laughing and looked at each other, confused. They looked stunned too, like they thought they were the only ones with the capabilities of asking questions. Scratch what they had said about being stupid, Marley thought venomously.

"We ask the questions here! Besides, we don't ask questions of our superiors. We just do what they tell us to do." The leader growled, his voice low and gravelly. Any regular person's knees might've been knocking together at the glare the Laistrygonian gave the boy, but not Marley. He clenches his fists.

"Well, I think I have a right to know who you're working for at least." He said, lifting his chin. The effect was not what he expected. The giants all drew away from him,

"We do not speak his name from respect. Like we would tell you." The boss scoffed. From outside of the thicket, Marley heard a shout. Then, he heard another shout. Then Vera yelled,

"What about my brother?"

The three giants looked at each other, and then the boss said, "Go and see what that's about. I'll keep this one safe and sound. If what he says is true, and he is just the son of Nox, grab one of the others." The two minion Laistrygonians disappeared, and the boss turned to Marley.

"What are you looking at me for? I didn't engineer some magical escape or anything." Marley replied dryly. The Laistrygonian lunged forward grabbing Marley in his fist. The boy was lifted clear of the ground, his toes barely touching the thorns. He kicked and flailed with his legs, but the Laistrygonian merely squeezed tighter, lifting him higher. There was a glint of something around the monster's neck, and Marley caught sight of it. It was a small stone tablet with ancient Greek writing all over it. Marley couldn't make out all of it, but it seemed to be detailing a complex sort of spell that he had seen written down in New Rome. One series of words stuck out to him. μετακομίζω ανάταση*. The literal translation was remove, transport. Marley's mind whirred. What on earth was that stone? He made a kick at it, and the Laistrygonian batted his ankle away with a flick of his wrist.

"Oh no you don't. I don't know if the Demigod scum finally decided to try to rescue you or not, but I do know that I am taking you with me to meet the commander-in-chief!" The Laistrygonian leader cried. From outside the thicket, sounds of a battle could be heard. There was a bright flash of light that penetrated even though the thick thorns. It made Marley's head spin and temporarily blinded him. By the way that the Laistrygonian rubbed his eyes with his free hand, it had done the same to him. Then, a hole was blasted in the thicket. Standing in the hole was a girl with messy auburn red hair, a boy with brilliant, almost-dyed red hair, and Vera, her fists clenched. Behind her, Marley caught a glimpse of three skeletal soldiers, each holding broken, brittle looking weapons. Behind them, he saw a girl with messy brown hair and vaguely African American features. She was spritzing perfume in the air, while another girl with paler skin fought with the one remaining Laistrygonian. He was looking awfully confused by the scent of perfume, and he kept spinning around in circles, opening up his flank for attack.

Behind them, there was another flash of brightly colored light, and another hole appeared in the thorny thicket, this time on the right of the boss. He whirled, and Marley caught a glimpse of Jamie Heroston and a girl with short and spiky black hair and an Indian complexion. She had multicolored light swirling around her fist. The rescuers moved in, ready to attack the giant. The Laistrygonian looked at the numbers against him, and dropped Marley. He put his hands up in the air, in surrender. Vera stepped forward, and her skeletal warriors followed. Behind them, the Laistrygonian the two girls had been fighting finally got so dizzy from twirling around and around, he toppled over and the pale skinned girl dispatched him. That left the leader.

"I suppose I failed." The leader growled. Marley crawled unevenly across the thorns to Vera's feet. She reached down and helped him up. His palms were covered in sweat and blood. He wiped them on his jeans, leaving long, dark streaks of the material.

"I suppose you did," It was the redheaded girl. She pushed some of her hair out of her eyes, and held out her hands in front of her. Marley could sense it in the air immediately, some sort of tension, like the calm before the storm. Magic was in the air. The scent of cinnamon, mixed with peppermint, and something foreign that Marley couldn't quite place, filled the air. The darkened sky crackled with thunder, and large droplets of rain began to fall, turning the ground to mud. The storm had finally blown in completely, "Up, brambles!" The girl commanded. The brambles lifted up, detangling themselves and wrapping around the giant's ankles and shins. The stone around the giant's neck glinted ominously in a flash of lightning. That was strange. Stone tablets shouldn't _glint_. The Laistrygonian leered.

"We should kill him now." It was the girl who had been holding the perfume. She tramped through the mud, wringing her hair out as she went. She smelled strongly of chemicals.

"No, Cecil." It was the girl with the multicolored light swirling around her hand who spoke.

"It's save us a lot of trouble." The first girl, Cecil argued, putting her hands on her hips.

"I said no. I'm in charge, and I won't let you kill him." The second girl replied.

"Who put you in charge anyway?" Cecil grumbled. The female leader sighed, and the multicolored light faded from existence. She rubbed her temples with her newly freed hand, shaking her head. Her hair had been plastered down by the rain filtering through the trees. She was pretty, Marley decided. She had Indian features, and she almost reminded him of an Indian Barbie. The way she lifted her chin, just a little defiantly, told him that she had more power than she was letting on. This group of ragtag rescuers would listen to her. Besides the fact she was probably the oldest among them next to Marley and Jamie.

"The plan was my idea." The leader spoke calmly, but she had a sort of power behind her words. A rain droplet traced its way down her cheek like a tear. Jamie was watching her with rapt attention. Marley reminded himself to bring it up later. He didn't know James Heroston very well, but they were probably some of the few uninjured members of Camp Jupiter. The Romans had been massacred by the surprise attack. And all for what? So the Laistrygonians could escape with Vera, Jamie and Marley? Marley couldn't make it add up, but he didn't want to try at the moment.

"Look, while you two have your little spat, Belle, Auden, my warriors and I will decide what to do with this guy." Vera motioned to the giant with her thumb. The giant looked at her calculatingly, like he was betting to himself. Marley didn't like that look. Vera made another sharp motion, and the undead warriors shuffled forward. Marley could see the strain of keeping the skeletons around in his sister's face. Her vanilla-coffee skin had gone slightly pale. Her eyes looked tired and bloodshot. She was struggling to keep her breathing steady. The redhead girl and the boy next to her followed the skeletons forward, the girl somewhat reluctantly.

"Skeletons, bind him." The girl with red hair commanded. To Marley's utter shock, the skeletons listened to her. They bent down, retrieved brambles, and started wrapping up the giant's large wrists. One took a rope from the boy. But… Marley's mind was about to short circuit. Only children of Pluto and Mors were supposed to be able to control skeletons like that. Unless she was a child of Pluto or Mors. But it didn't seem like it. They didn't do magic like she had. Just as the undead warriors were making the second loop around the Laistrygonian's wrists, he made a sudden motion. He broke his thorny bonds, slammed one arm into the two redheads, which sent them flying through the hole in the thicket and into the mud, and used the other arm to grab Vera around the waist. As a bolt of multicolored light, a bolt of ice, and a celestial bronze whip all came flying at the giant, he gripped the stone around his neck and crushed it with one fist.

It looked like the giant was folding in on himself, growing smaller and smaller and smaller until he disappeared with a pop. A brilliant flash of light followed his disappearance, leaving Marley blinking and trying to clear his eyes. When he finally did, he realized that the giant hadn't just disappeared. Vera had been dragged with him.

From the mud outside the thicket, Belle and Auden struggled to their feet. Belle's hair was plastered to her cheeks and shoulders. She'd lost her hair band in the mud. There was a large glob of mud in Auden's eye, which he was desperately trying to get out. They were both drenched, and their clothes were caked with muck. Belle looked at Auden.

"You okay?" Auden had only succeeded in smearing the mud all over his face. He looked more like an earthborn now than a human, Belle thought.

"Just fine for someone who was viciously tossed by a large, cannibalistic orange giant into the mud. In fact, I'm doing just dandy." Belle replied. She flicked some mud off of her shoulder in disdain. Together, they made their way back to the thicket, but they weren't greeted by a pretty sight. Marley, one of the boys they had been rescuing, had fallen to his knees, his hands pressed to his face. When he slowly lifted his face, there were two bloody hand prints across his cheeks.

"I've lost Vera. The giant took Vera." Marley whispered.

 ***pronounced: metakomízo̱ anátasi̱. And no, folks, I did not use Google Translate, thank you very much. I used an actually credible site for it the Greek words, and I will try to use the same site for any future parts that are to be said in Greek.**

 **Some Notes on the Chapter:**

 **Marley is very protective of his sister. He doesn't like losing Vera, and he would rather be taken himself than have Vera be taken. He will be greatly affected by her disappearance.**

 **More OCs will be including in coming chapters, however they won't become pivotal until a little bit later. So, the winners will be including in the following chapters a bit more. There will be several discussions about those characters, and several chapters mainly from their perspective. Like this chapter, which was mainly made from Marley's perspective. In the beginning and end you get some Paris and Belle.**

 **It was Paris who came up with the plan for rescuing them, that's why she was in charge. It was based more around strategy than "Charge in and kill them all." Paris did this because all of the fighters they had were exhausted from the previous battle, and she didn't think that they could really take on all of the Laistrygonians at once. It was all going very well until Belle ruined the plan by stepping on Mia's foot, causing Mia to yell, and then prompting Vera to want to go help Marley as soon as possible, thus alerting the Laistrygonians of what was going on.**

 **It was a hard choice for Chiron not to go and rescue the Campers. He wanted to, he really did, but all of the warriors were exhausted. He couldn't put them through another battle, and for all he knew the Campers could already be dead. He knew that he wanted to, but he just couldn't do it. Besides, they needed all the help they could get in the Infirmary, since it was full. There were several fatal injuries from the battle, and that will be addressed.**

 **Paul and Paris aren't great friends, but they share mutual friends, Silena and Belle. So, they know of each other and they've talked to each other, but they aren't great friends. Several times, Paris has taken care of a wounded Paul.**

 **Luka and Paris used to be friends, but Luka's rather bossy and rude. He cares on the inside, but his outward demeanor can be very prickly, which caused Paris to stop being friends with him. She views kindness the best option in all situations, and tries to use it as often as possible.**

 **Jamie, when he says, "No one got my joke," is making a reference to the Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, when the trolls are considering how to eat the dwarves. I thought it would be fun to slip that little Easter egg in there.**

 **IMPORTANT, PLEASE READ: Due to popular request, I am taking into consideration updating twice a week. That means that the chapters will be about two thousand words shorter or more. Due to my schedule and my schoolwork, it might be hard to get that middle of the week update in though, so here's my plan. I am going to update as often as I can on Wednesday, or Tuesday, or on occasion Thursday, but mostly Wednesday. If I can't update then, you'll have to wait until Sunday. I'm going to try to balance it out so I can please the readers with more updates. We'll try it for a little while and see how it goes.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Revenge77: Thank you so much for your feedback! I really appreciate it!**

 **Satoketch: Thank you so much. I really appreciate the fact that you are enjoying it so much. Hopefully I can update more often so that when you check back a lot, there will be more to read.**

 **JustAPerson: Okay, I'll try. I don't know how well it will balance with school, but I'll try.**

 **Guest: Thanks so much for the character. I'll consider adding her, and see if I can work her into the plot for this story. Hopefully, she'll fit in. There is a time skip approaching in the next few chapters, so she might get added in there. There are a few more things that I'd like to know about her though, like if she has any quirks and who she might be interested in for romance. I think that it's a great idea to have someone who Belle is pretty much constantly butting heads with (That's the stubborn, short, redhead right there! Seriously, she's seven inches shorter than Zari). It would add a unique element to the story. I'll consider adding Agnessa, we'll see how she fits into the story. Sound good?**

 **AprilFlowers: Thank you! I will try to update more, but we'll see how that works out. I hope you continue to enjoy the story.**

 **SailorMoon: Thank you so much for your creative feedback. I really enjoy the fact that you had constructive criticism, but you were nice in the way you presented it. I really appreciate that. I'll try to not be so blunt in the way I describe things and use more metaphors. There is a plot. A little bit more of the plot has been revealed from this chapter. Before you think it – IT IS NOT THE SAME PLOT AS THE HoO SERIES! However, the mysterious "Commander-in-Chief" as the Laistrygonians called them, does want a child of Mors/Thanatos. Why? More shall be revealed to come! Mwahahahahaha (I am enjoying this evil laugh way to much). There is an overarching plot, but also smaller plots (Like romances and backstories – except I suck as romance, so any tips are welcome). Since this will have a few installments, I do believe, each installment with have its own plot tying into the main plot. I will try to update more often too. So, once again, thank you so much!**

 **Thanks you to all who reviewed my story and gave me feedback. I hope you enjoyed this chapter too, and continue to enjoy it. Please tell me what you think of all of the characters, my portrayal of them, and what you think of Belle. I want to be very sure I don't venture too far into Mary-Sue territory with her.**

 **Q &A: **

**Also, I want to open something up that I call Q &A. If you want to ask a question about one of the characters, you simply write your review, and then at the bottom or top or whatever, on a separate line write Q&A: and then ask a question like, "What's your favorite color, Belle?" or "Who has the smelliest feet?" etc. If there are any character specific questions, feel free to ask. I will draw conclusions on questions asked of the submitted demigods, and if I don't know, I will message their creator to the best of my ability and get the answer from them. Their creators are always welcome to correct me in reviews as well. **

**So I think that's all. Thanks for reading, and see (Or is it write?) you hopefully on Wednesday,**

 **PR**


	6. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

In Which Belle Tries to Scry

 _Defeat. It always leaves a bitter aftertaste in your mouth like sour milk. I hate it. I never cared for losing, not even at Chess or Capture the Flag, but this was even worse. I really do hate defeat, and today, we, Camp Half Blood, were defeated. We lost a Camper. We lost Vera._

"What on earth were you thinking? Have all of you gone daft? Did you all have cotton in your ears when Chiron was saying that it was too dangerous to go? You were exhausted from the fight! You could have been killed! I would have been to blame then, and I would have never forgiven myself? It was incredibly immature. So immature. I've half a mind to send you all to your cabins and ban you from all Camp activities for the rest of the summer. Belle, Paris, Mia, your parents are definitely hearing about this. I will make sure of that. Cecil, I'll let your parents deal with you! Auden, I'll talk with you later, and we'll discuss your punishment." Will Solace was raging mad when the muddy, bloody, exhausted rescue party and the rescued Campers came traipsing back to the Big House, looking like they were about to drop. Will had attended to all of the wounded, and had been waiting on the front porch for them to return. His face had turned as crimson as a fire engine.

Marley and Jamie were upstairs, getting cleaned up by Rhona Macdonald, the daughter of Apollo. She was currently making sure all of their injuries got attended to. Meanwhile, Paris, Mia, Belle, Auden and Cecil had been lined up in front of the porch swing, their heads bowed in shame as Will screamed at them.

"I'm not ten years old! I can take care of myself and make my own decisions! Stop babying me!" Auden argued. Cecil put her arm on his hand in warning. She knew where this was going, and she didn't want Auden to get into any more trouble. It wasn't the first time she or Belle had gotten shouted at by an adult.

"From how you acted, it seemed like you were ten years old." Will snapped, placing his hands on his hips.

"But-" Auden started, but Will would have none of it. He held up one hand.

"You are in no position to argue with me young man, unless you want to get in even more trouble. You're in hot enough water as is, and when Chiron finds out, I would not want to be you. I wouldn't be surprised if Belle, Paris and Mia are sent home until summer starts." Will ranted.

"Yeah, that's smart. Put us in more danger." Mia shot. Will rounded on her, his eyes blazing. He looked like he was about to explode.

"I have put my trust in the judgement of all of you, and you have lost all of that trust tonight. How dare you leave Camp without permission? After Chiron had left, I myself was going to go after those Demigods, with your help. But you took it upon yourself to do it on your own. You have all proved you are immature and don't deserve your powers!" Will roared at Mia. Mia wasn't going to give in though. Her eyes had just as much fire in them as

"What do you mean? Do you mean that in the future, we should stand by while our friends and fellows get eaten alive?" Mia retorted heatedly.

"Mia." Cecil warned. Sure, Cecil had a temper on her, but she wasn't suicidal. She knew that arguing with Will would get her in a lot of trouble, and she couldn't afford to be in that much trouble. She was already on thin ice with her dad for playing a few practical jokes, and nearly breaking her own arm. He was also mad at her for 'leading Auden on' when she had a crush on Julian. But yet, Cecil couldn't find the heart to tell him that she didn't like him. Maybe she actually did, she just couldn't decide. Indecision was one of her biggest shortcomings. She couldn't even decide on anything, which meant that she'd left lots of boys just hanging without an answer. Besides, she thought it was better to keep Auden's heart whole than broken. She didn't want him to find out about Julian, despite the fact that sometimes she was rather obvious. Of course, there was also the jealousy that Cecil had felt when she had turned around and seen Auden absently petting down Belle's sticking up hair. Sure, her hair was almost always a mess and he hadn't done it because he liked her, but still, it made Cecil bubble with an unexplained jealousy. She didn't like that feeling. It was still around, churning in her stomach.

"Cecil! He doesn't have the right to do this to us. We did what was right!" Mia replied, her eyes bright.

"I'm not saying you didn't do what was right, I'm saying you didn't do what was smart. If you had waited, we might've been able to get a full rescue party together, and keep Vera McStrife from getting kidnapped. We don't even know where she went! None of this would have happened if you had just waited for leadership!" Will said, throwing his hands up in the air. Paris stepped forward, her multicolored eyes shifting in the evening light. The sun was getting ready to set, but the clouds still covered it in a grey haze.

"It sure seems like you're saying that we were in the wrong!" Mia sneered. Belle, who was standing at the end of the line next to Paris, reached down and took her friend's hand, giving it a squeeze. Then, she stepped forward. Paris's head had been down the entire time, taking the scolding with her shoulders hunched. This had never happened to her before. She was supposed to be a good girl. Belle was supposed to be chaotic good, and Silena the bad girl. She had never gotten in trouble like this before. Belle had been trying to keep her temper in check throughout the whole argument, and now it came out. She was not one to control her temper. She was rather hotheaded most of the time, which had gotten her into trouble more than once. Now, all of her temper came out on Will.

"I agree with Mia. If you really agreed with what we did, than you wouldn't be scolding us right now." She said icily. Will rounded on her.

"Young lady, I address me like than unless you want to end up in Cincinnati with your dad by tomorrow afternoon." Will cried.

"Do your worst, try to get me out of Camp without having to spend the rest of the summer in the Infirmary!" Arabelle snarled.

"I don't think you're listening, I'm scolding you because what you did was unsafe-" Will started. But Belle cut him off.

"No, _you're not listening,_ " Her voice was dangerously calm. The air crackled with invisible energy, and the scent of cinnamon and peppermint became stronger. Her eyes were furious. Will seemed to be resisting the urge to take a large step back. Belle was pleased to see there was a little flash of fear in his eyes. Hecate might have been a minor goddess, but her children certainly weren't minor demigods. They were magicians, and could manipulate the Mist into doing what they wanted. They were forces to be reckoned with, especially if they were determined. Belle was very determined at that moment, "You are telling us off for doing what was right!"

"It was too dangerous!" Will pleaded. Belle could see it in his eyes, he was trying to get them to see sense.

"You only thought it was too dangerous because we dragged Auden into it." Mia spat venomously. Once Auden's name had been invoked, Will's face became a mask of rage again. Apparently, his anger with them was much more powerful than his fear of Belle's magic or Mia's frost. He began to past back and forth in front of them.

"I still stand by my original point. This was too dangerous!" Will yelled.

"We're Demigods. This – rescues and monster fights – is what we do. Dangerous situations are what we are trained for. We've trained for years for these types of situations. You have to be able to trust us a little more." Belle interjected.

"Who was the planner of this expedition?" Will said in a low, strained voice like he was struggling to stay calm. He was trying to change the subject. Belle opened her mouth to say it was her – she wasn't going to let Paris take the blame for this, but the Middle-Eastern girl was faster. She leaped past Belle and stood in front of the redhead.

"I was. I thought it was wrong to leave those people to die. I don't care how dangerous it was. Like Arabelle said, danger is what we do." Paris said. Belle winced, Paris rarely used her full name. She stepped back, now standing next to Auden. She watched Auden's muscles tense as he listened to Paris. On Auden's side, Cecil's fists were clenched like she couldn't believe it was Paris who was going to take the blame.

"Arrrgh! Alright, I'll let Chiron punish you when he gets back, but you are to all return to your Cabins and not come out until morning. No dinner tonight, and all of you will be washing the dishes in the evening for two weeks. I also want to see your Cabins spic and span every expectation day," Will said, all the anger seemingly drained away from his face. He began to pale very rapidly, all the blood that had been in his cheeks leaving them. He couldn't stand up to Paris, whose chin was raised defiantly, whose eyes blazed with light. He just couldn't do it. Together, Auden, Paris, Cecil, Mia and Belle got ready to leave the porch and head back to their Cabins, "Wait, Belle, Auden, you need to wash off, Cecil, I might gag if you can't get that stench of perfume away from me soon, so take a shower too, and Paris, I need you upstairs. Mia, you can go to your Cabin." Mia grumbled something under her breath and left for the Cabin area. The rest of them headed into the Big House (Belle, Auden, and Cecil ran back to their cabins for clothes) to clean themselves up, and in Paris's case, got and tend to the wounded.

As Belle went into the shower (Auden had been a gentleman and insisted she go first and Cecil had agreed she was the dirtiest of them all), Cecil found a roll of paper towels in the Big House kitchen, and started wiping some of the mud on Auden's face off. It came away in large brown globs, staining the paper towels and Cecil's fingers. Auden stood there, his eyes level with hers. It had never actually occurred to him that Cecil was a good inch and a half taller than him. He barely scraped by being 5'4'', while she was 5'5'' and a half, and claimed she was still growing. It was a descendant of a Demeter thing. They were all usually pretty tall. Auden could only cross his fingers and hope that he would continue growing. Paris had headed upstairs to tend to the wounded. Will had finished making sure that no one was going to bleed out, but still, he needed someone to care for Jamie and Marley alongside Rhona. He himself was exhausted. Auden could hear it in his voice.

Cecil put her hand on the side of his face, tilting it upward so that she could get some mud that had been smeared next to his eye.

"You know, I can't believe that we lost Vera. I mean, I've never met her properly, but still, the Laistrygonian kidnapped her. I wonder what they want her for." Cecil wondered out loud.

"Hopefully not to eat." Auden said, but Cecil tapped his jaw lightly.

"Don't talk, it makes this harder," She said flatly, trying to get a bit out mud out from behind his ear, "But certainly not. If they were to eat, Marley, Vera and Jamie would all be dead by now. I don't think they were to eat. Besides, no Laistrygonian has the power to disappear like that. It is to be some other power at work here." Cecil explained. Auden supposed she was right. As silly as it was, he couldn't stop his heart from pounding against his ribs like a drum beat. Cecil, the girl who has so little emotion in her voice and seemed so flirty at the same time, was wiping mud off his face. The very same Cecil who he had liked since forever. They continued on in silence, just sort of standing there. Cecil's stomach growled, and she was suddenly jealous of the protein bar that Belle had been given. When Cecil finished, she took a small step back, admiring how much dirt she had gotten off his face.

"You look nice when you're not covered in dirt." She commented, her expression softening slightly. She sighed, and pushed her hair out of her eyes. She smelled so strongly of cheap perfume it was enough to make Auden gag. But he hid his gag well with a cough. The perfume had sure confused the Laistrygonians' senses, but it had made Cecil _reek._ It wasn't nice perfume, it was dollar store style perfume.

"I'd return the compliment, but you were never covered in mud, and I can't see you." Auden replied.

"Do you ever miss sight?" Cecil asked gently. Auden stretched out his fingers, flexing them into a fist and then releasing them.

"It's so strange not being able to see my hand do that, you know. I know in my heart and mind that I made my muscles move, and yet… I never saw the results. It's just… strange. I can't explain exactly how it feels, but I wish I could. Yeah, I miss seeing sometimes. I wish I still could. But I lost my sight when I was really little, so I don't remember much of it. I do remember the colors though, and that's what I miss. I miss the colors." Auden murmured. Cecil reached out and laced her fingers with his.

"You can still _feel_ though. That's what counts. I could live without sight, as long as I had the touch of someone else's hand guiding me along. As long as I could feel that, I'd be alright." Cecil mumbled. Suddenly, Auden found he didn't mind the stink of the cheap perfume anymore. For once, Cecil had put emotion behind her words. It startled him. He gave her hand a cautious squeeze, sure she was going to pull away at any moment. Her fingers were covered in callouses and rough spots from training with a whip and gardening without gloves. She, unlike many of the Campers at Camp Half Blood, chose not to wear gloves while training. Auden focused all of his attention on her hand. It was slightly smaller than his, with longer fingers as if designed for pickpocketing. Her nails were short and rough like she had bitten them often, and there was a hangnail right next to her thumb. They must have had dirt caked under them.

Cecil took another step closer. Auden could hear the creak of her feet on the floorboards.

"I suppose I shout be grateful that I can still feel your hand." Auden breathed. He gave it a gentle squeeze. He was sure that he was going to get a kiss on the cheek or something, and he had no idea why. His brain had officially gone braindead. His mouth didn't seem to be working properly. Nothing was going like it was supposed to. He hadn't been expecting it.

"I like loyalty you know. I've always been a fan on loyalty. Maybe it's because I'm not as loyal as you are. I'm a wanderer. I wander form place to place, person to person, confused about who I should be loyal to. I fall for every guy. I really care about everyone, I do. I just pretend I don't. Maybe someday I'll find someone to be properly loyal to." Cecil said. In the back of her mind, the words ' _What about Julian?_ ' were running around, trying to get her attention. Auden could hear her breath in the silence that followed. He was vaguely aware that the water had gotten shut off from inside the bathroom. There was a thump on the stairs. Cecil and Auden dropped each other's hands and stepped apart hurriedly, just as Julian came down the stairs. His dark hair was tousled, but it looked like he'd cleaned up. He was wearing a fresh, purple Camp Half Blood t-shirt and dark jeans.

"Hey Cecelia, right?" He asked, smiling slightly. His smile was beautiful. He had a serious face, so when he did show his pearly whites, it lit up the entire room. Cecil's heart gave a bit of a flutter, and immediately, guilt swelled in her chest. How could she have completely forgotten about Julian? How could she have led Auden on? She pushed the guilt down as best she could. It was a useless emotion. Of all the emotions that she wish she didn't have, the top one was guilt. It only made her feel bad.

"Yeah, but people call me Cecil." She said.

"Heroston just told me everything about your adventure, and the rescue. I wish I could've been there." Julian said. Auden gritted his teeth. He and Julian were friends, but he didn't like where this was going. Being friends did not stop them from fighting over the same girl. Except, usually it was Julian saying, ' _Here, take her, she's turned into a creepy stalker!'_ The fact that Julian seemed suddenly interested in Cecil put Auden on edge. It was only because they'd done something heroic, he was sure.

"Oh, I wish you could've too." Cecil said, blushing.

"Can we take a walk on the beach? You can tell me all about it." Julian said, obviously not caring that Cecil stank of cheap perfume and hadn't showered.

"Technically, I'm Will's version of grounded." Cecil replied, letting out a little snort and pushing some of her hair out of her face. 

"You're a descendant of Hermes and I'm naturally sneaky. No one will catch us." Julian winked at her. Cecil felt her cheeks grow even hotter. She was sure she looked as scarlet as the sunset, but she nodded numbly. Julian had essentially asked her out on a demigod's version of a date. If they didn't get interrupted by monsters, it would be a miracle. Cecil trotted over to Julian, and together, they crept out of the Big House. Auden didn't even manage to get a word in edgewise. His heart sank.

He'd been silly to believe that Cecil would ever chose him. Not when there was _Julian._

After three minutes, the bathroom door opened and Belle came out.

The mud had been washed off of her skin, and her wet hair had been neatly combed and braided into a French braid. She wore a simple sandstone brown linen shirt that was a little too big for her, a thick brown belt, and a pair of light, slightly beat up second hand jeans.

"Shunted at the bathroom door, eh?" She asked. Auden shrugged. He couldn't see exactly where she was, but her voice echoed from the entrance to the bathroom.

"Don't make jokes, Belle." He grumbled. He could almost feel her rolling her eyes. She gave a little mock salute.

"Sir, yes sir!" She said. Auden bit back a small grin. It was strange. He hadn't ever really talked to Belle before this disastrous day, yet she hadn't thought twice before saving him from a _dracaena_ 's javelin. She was like sugar and spice – that was what Paul said. From what he had seen of her, this tended to hold true. She was generally pretty sweet, but she had that streak of rebellion that was the spice. High spirited seemed to be a good way of describing her. Auden found himself hoping that they could strike up a friendship.

"How did you know that she ditched me for Julian?" Auden asked.

"Heard it. You know that doors aren't soundproof, right? It was all as clear as day and dramatic as Shakespeare." Belle told him cheerily.

"Great, my love life is being compared to Shakespeare. Next thing I know I'll be killing myself because the love of my life died." Auden grunted. Belle's laugh was clear. She was relaxing now that the battle was done. Sure, there was the matter of Vera to attend to, but she wasn't going to worry about that yet.

"Water heater should be hot again," She informed him, "While you shower, I'm going to loot some food from the kitchen. Pilfering for the win!" She pumped her fist in the air. Auden cracked a smile.

"Mind sharing?" He asked.

"Not at all. I'll grab something for you too. Allergic to anything?" She questioned.

"Nah. Not that I know." Auden replied.

"Right. I'll find something for Romeo to eat, I'm sure." Belle crowed, and skipped along toward the kitchen, not doing a good job of being very stealthy. Auden opened his mouth to protest that he was not Romeo, but Belle was already gone. He shook his head and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door.

.o0O0o.

Jamie had not been expecting the pretty Indian girl who had rescued him to come up and help Rhona Macdonald attend to any injuries he had. Her name was Paris, he knew. He'd met her before when he'd come to Camp Half Blood, but had never really talked to her. When he'd seen her the battle, cowering before the fire like it was her greatest fear, he hadn't thought twice about running and saving her. He had simply done it. Now, she stood over him while he was forced to lie down in an Infirmary bed. The bed was too short for him, so his feet stuck off the end.

Paris wasn't grumbling like Jamie had expected her to be. The blonde guy who had been waiting for them on the porch had looked like he was going to blow his top off, but Paris seemed forgiving and unconcerned with that now. She tended his small cuts with care, dabbing a cotton ball soaked in hydrogen peroxide on them carefully to clean them out. It stung, and the wound fizzled with bubbles, indicated it had been dirty. But the pain was had been through worse. Paris worked in silence. Finally, she said,

"Thank you for saving me from the fire. I don't remember if I got a chance to say that to you in the battle or not." She was focused on his forearm, which had a large, jagged gash on it. She didn't look up from her work. For the first time, Jamie realized how strongly she smelled of smoke. The rain had done a good job of washing most of the soot off her face, yet a few dark smudges remained.

"N-no problem." Jamie's voice came out with a bit of a stutter. He winced inwardly – he didn't usually stutter. Agh, this girl was messing with his head. Paris didn't speak again. She simply continued to tend to the wounds. Jamie, being Jamie, didn't say anything either. Finally, when she was done, Rhona approached. Her hair was wild and messy, her face shining with sweat. But for the most part, she was uninjured from the battle. Sammy Valdez was leaning on her shoulder.

"Prepare yourself," Rhona said exasperatedly, "He's come to rant. Will just told him."

That was all the warning Paris got. Sammy immediately launched into his rant about how dangerous it was. Paris straightened, tossing the bloody cotton balls in the rubbish bin at the end of the bed. She brushed her hands off on her jeans, only half listening to Sammy's rant. He was going on about the dangers of what she had done, how stupid she had been, and all that jazz when Jamie had heard enough. He held up one hand.

"Look, she's been through a lot, let her be, wouldn't you?" The taller boy demanded. Sammy's cheeks burned red, and indignation crossed his face. Behind him, his older sister Esperanza came over. She was called Esmee by everyone. She was calm, levelheaded yet had a fiery streak in her. Frowning at her little brother, she rested dark-skinned hand on his grey hoodie.

"The man is right, Sammy, leave London Bridges be. She doesn't need any more lecturing." Esmee said coolly. She winked at Paris, and led her brother away back to his Infirmary bed. Rhone sighed, and pushed some straggly hairs out of her face.

"I know that the children of Apollo are supposed to be great healers and all, but I am done. I need rest. I need sleep." She said. Paris couldn't help but agree.

"You should go back to your Cabin and catch a snooze while you can. We'll all be up by the time Chiron gets back." Paris instructed. Rhona nodded. Paris was probably right, she figured. She left Jamie and Paris in the muffled silence of the Infirmary. Most of the patients were sleeping recovering from their injuries. Only Paul was awake, watching her like a hawk. His keen eyes followed her past his bed. Rhona stopped and sighed.

"Don't do it Paul." She said.

"I'm gonna do it." He replied.

"You're not going to heal if you keep getting up and moving around." Rhona snapped.

"My best friend went off to a rescue without me. I've gotta take it up with here, like, right now." Paul said, kicking off his covers and grabbing the blue zip-up hoodie that Silena had left near his bed after she'd come visiting earlier. He zipped it up over his plain, white, Infirmary t-shirt. Rhona's disapproving glares followed his every movement, and then together, they descended the stairs.

.o0O0o.

" _Hola Mehita._ " Paul clambered through the window of the Hecate Cabin. He had made sure Belle was there first, of course. She was, lying face down on her bed, her shoulders shaking unevenly. She didn't look up when he entered with a crash (He had slipped from the windowsill and fell onto the floor. His wounds, like his bruised ribs, had lost him most of his dexterity).

"What do you want?" She still didn't take her face out of the pillow. Her voice came out strained and muffled. Then, there was a loud, hiccupping sound. Oh. _Crying._

Paul was not good with crying. Then again, what guy was? He didn't like tears, not on him, or anyone else. Especially Belle or Silena. Both of his female best friends were tough as nails. They didn't cry. Belle never shed a tear when anyone was watching. Sure, she couldn't have counted on Paul coming to see her, but she must've known that at least one person would check if she was alright. Paul scrambled to his feet and slowly approached the bed. He tentatively put a hand on her shoulder.

"I want to make sure you're okay. Obviously, the answer is no." He said. He knew that a small smile had curved Belle's lips by the way that she moved her chin up the pillow a little bit.

"Nah. I'm fine, just a little shaken." Belle said apologetically. She sniffed, sitting up. Her cheeks were all stained red, and wet with tears. She was holding a fisted handkerchief in her hand with the cursive letters _AA_ embroidered in pink thread on it. Paul settled down next to her, rubbing her back.

"Belle, I call your bluff. Now, tell me what's wrong?" Paul asked.

"I suppose I just realized that I am probably never going to see Vera again. We don't even know where she is. I know it's stupid and crazy, because I barely knew her. In fact, I just met her today, but still… every day for the rest of the summer I am going to have to look at Marley's face. You didn't see him when we got back. He looked so defeated, so pained… We lost today. We were defeated. We lost one of our Campers. The Demigod code is never leave a fellow Half Blood behind, and we did that today. I can't believe we did it either…" Belle wiped her eyes, "I was able to keep it together when Auden and I were eating… sorry, forgot to mention I may or may not have stolen some food from the kitchen and made it look like you did it… but when I got back here, I just fell apart. I keep on wondering what it would be like if Ruthie or Dawn turned out to be a Demigod, and got kidnapped, and then I never saw her again. I – I'm sorry about crying. I know you hate it." Belle wiped her eyes. Paul looped his arms around her shoulders, and pulled her into an awkward, one armed hug. He could feel her tears making a large wet stain on his hoodie shoulder, but he didn't care.

"You don't have to be sorry. We're going to find her. You have to have some way to look, don't you?" Paul asked, "Can't you dream about where the Laistrygonian was? Couldn't you summon crazy awesome skeleton soldiers to look for her? Could you scry her?" Paul was just pulling at straws, but suddenly, Belle's whole form stiffened. She sat up bolt upright, pulling away from Paul like she had been struck by lightning. That old light of inspiration was in her eyes again. It told Paul she was about to do something crazy.

Wiping her face like mad, Belle sprinted across the room and came to a skidding halt in front of where the table held the bowl of water for scrying. She leaned over it, and peered into the water. She needed oil. A small dark, green glass bottle of olive oil was always kept beneath the table for when the Hecate children wanted to spy on – or scry – people. Belle now retrieved this olive oil and poured it into the water, chanting slowly in Ancient Greek. The words just sort of came to her. She couldn't quite explain how she did it, or what words she used, they just came out of her mouth. She leaned over the bowl, staring into its depths, trying to make something out, while still chanting. Paul came over to see exactly what she was doing, but she didn't pay him any attention. She focused all of her energy on keeping the spell going. Maybe scrying when she was exhausted hadn't been such a good idea. Too late now.

"Show me Vera McStrife!" Belle said in English. The single command was not taken well by the scrying bowl. It began to vibrate, shaking the table violently, but a blurry picture came into focus. Vera was sitting, clutching her broken leg, looked fearfully around a dimly lit chamber. The walls were made out of polished black stone, with torch sconces on them. Only one of the torches was lit, and it burned with an uncanny purple flame. The eerie light flickered across Vera's face. The light made her look exceptionally pale. Her face was contorted in pain.

" _Only you, a child of Thanatos, can open the door to the Realm of Amphiaraus! You may try to resist at first, but you_ will _open the eventually! We will get our own Oracle!_ " A voice emanated from the scrying bowl, crackling and cutting out like it was coming through a poor phone connection. Then, the bowl began to shake so much that Belle had to stop the spell. She stumbled away from the table, reaching for Paul's support. Her own skin looked like snow from using too much magic, but she didn't pay that any attention.

"Paul, you have to go get Marley!" She exclaimed. Paul nodded.

"You try scrying again." Paul replied, and then he raced from the Cabin. Belle turned back to the bowl, eying it dubiously. Then, she marched towards it resolutely, placed both her hands on the table to steady it, and commanded,

"Show me Vera McStrife!"

 **A couple of notes on the chapter:**

 **Cecil doesn't know what to do about her Auden-Julian situation. She's genuinely stumped. She doesn't want to put Auden through the heartbreak of knowing that she's not interested. She doesn't even know if she's not interested in him. She thinks she might return some of his feelings, but she's not sure, since she's had a crush on Julian since forever. She's just very confused, and now Julian is taking notice of her. Before, Julian was pretty much throwing her at Auden, trying to get them together. Belle, Paris and Silena are all aware of this situation, and none of them approve of her leading Auden on. Paul told Belle and Silena, who in turn decided to tell Paris.**

 **Paris doesn't have much of a temper. She's pretty relaxed and sweet about everything. You** _ **can**_ **get her angry if you really try, but she doesn't have a huge temper. She was more ashamed that she broke the rules than angry with Will for yelling at them.**

 **That's all the notes for this chapter. Not many notes to add sadly. Onto the Reviews!**

 **Revenge77: Thank you so much! I really appreciate that you like it. I'm glad I'd getting your OCs personalities spot on! That makes me happy!**

 **DoctorWho: Thanks for giving me feedback (And telling me you weren't one to sugarcoat, that helped me mentally get in the ride mode to take the feedback). As you have learned through reading my work, I'm also pretty blunt. First off, you talked about how the story was about Belle. I agree. It is about Belle. She's the main character. I thought about this carefully before I launched into creating the plot of this story. In the original idea, Paul (oh, why are you so fabulous, Paul?) was the main character. However, he shared way too many traits with his dad, so that made him pretty much a copy-n-paste of Percy into this plotline. So, I decided on a completely different approach – Arabelle. She's a Demigod who has been drifting around in my head and leading rebellions to get her own story. She became the main of this one. I get where you see my writing can be a little too… blunt and simple. I state a simple fact. I'm trying to embrace a little more Rowling style in my writing. J.K. Rowling doesn't necessarily sugarcoat things. She doesn't have an analogy for everything. Since she's the person who inspired me to write in the first place, my style has been greatly influenced by hers. Also, my own style of speaking and presenting is a little narrative and a little direct, I'm right in the middle. I'm a little bit of both. So, sometimes, my writing comes out a little more direct. I'm working on it, that's one of my biggest challenges. I will try to improve in the future and work a little less… bluntly. I get where you're coming from with the characters. There are quite a few. The biggest problem is that I have to juggle all of them and give them all the right amount of screen time. Obviously, Belle, Paul and Silena, as well as Paris will end up getting a lot of screen time, but along with a few more descendants. This story is about the children, but I also don't want to confine myself to that. I want to add new families, new dynamics, and new people. It gets a bit old if you don't spice it up. I also guaranteed that some of the descendants wouldn't have major roles. I also get that people want to read about the original PJO characters, but frankly, I can't stand half of them (Annabeth, Jason and Piper, to be more specific). There were characters I loved like Leo, Reyna, Frank and Percy, but still… also, I can't really include them too much because it is about their children and not them. Especially since, at the age Paul and Silena are in the rebellious phase, they'll be trying to pull away from their parents a bit. I can consider restarting, but I don't think I will. I am aware that it will never become very popular, but that's not my goal. My goal is to write something that people enjoy reading (Though admittedly, people will probably read it for the plot and action, not romance, because as we've already established, I can't write romance). So, yeah. I really hope I didn't come off as rude, I don't mean to be if I did. I tried not to, because I'm not annoyed or irritated. In fact, I'm really happy you gave me solid, constructive feedback. Thank you for that. That makes me happy.**

 **That's all,**

 **PR**


	7. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

In Which Rachel Spews Some Nonsense

 _I haven't slept in days, thank you very much. I have kept searching, looking for new combination. I could only use the same combination of words to scry Vera four or five times maybe. So, there I was, exhausted, stirring my finger in the oil and water of the scrying bowl, with a dictionary on hand, trying to think of a new way so say it. My life sucks._

Spring slowly turned into summer for the Greeks and Romans. Everyone was on edge, their shoulder tense, their eyes darting around to make sure no one tried to kidnap _them._ Arabelle hadn't slept properly in the weeks since Vera's disappearance. Paul had made it his job to bring her food – and she left the cabin at night to do the dishes after dinner, but other than that she had barely been outside all spring. Her skin was as pale as death, her eyes had large bags under them and her shoulders sagged, yet she chugged away, thinking of new ways to scry Vera to make sure she was still alive.

"Show me Vera McStrife."

"Show me the location of Vera McStrife."

"Show me where Vera McStrife is."

"Show me where Vera McStrife is hidden."

"Show me the place of Vera McStrife."

"Show me the _current_ location of Vera McStrife."

Belle's voice had grown hoarse, and yet she didn't stop. Kendra, the leader of Hecate Cabin, had returned from New York shortly after Vera had been kidnapped. She was now standing at Belle's shoulder, looking as frazzled as the redhead, her curly dark hair sticking up. Her coco colored hand would occasionally tap the surface of the scrying bowl in an attempt to make the image clearer, but it had become increasingly blurry.

"You should sleep Arabelle. And then you should go out in the sunshine, all this shadow is not good for you." Kendra said.

"No thanks, Kenny. I think I'll stay here and take care of scrying some more. You go get some rest." Belle said roughly. She didn't take her eyes off the bowl, instead she leaned her head forward to examine a detail of the scene before her. Vera sat, holding her leg which apparently hadn't healed in the time she had spent in captivity. Her head was bent, and her hair glinting unnaturally in the purple firelight emanating from the torches. She slowly lifted her head.

" _I-won't-help-you._ " She said disjointedly, her whole from shaking.

" _Someday soon, you will break. You will let us into the Realm of Amphiaraus. No mortal can withstand us forever._ " The disembodied voice growled from the shadows. Then, the image went dark. Belle placed the hells of her palms over her eyes and groaned, turning away from the scrying bowl in disgust. Kendra rubbed her temples, annoyed.

"There has to be another combination!" Belle cried, whirling and slamming her fists down on either side of the table. The strike rattled the bowl, nearly knocking it from where it sat and she rushed to catch it before it fell to the floor. At is was, a good portion of the water and oil spilled out over the front of Belle's faded orange _Camp Half Blood_ T-shirt. Belle growled angrily through gritted teeth. The lack of sleep was starting to affect her frustration level and usually semi-friendly disposition, "I don't get it! It doesn't make sense! I have tried and tried, but we can't maintain the scrying for very long and we can't use the same combination more than four or five times! It doesn't make sense! It's like there some sort of interference, which is completely ridiculous because only someone magical could do that!" She slapped her hands over her eyes again and yelled.

"Keep your voice down, genius. I hate it when you yell." Belle's entire form stiffened. Oh bother. Bother, bother, bother. The bother of it all, this was just what she needed! Of course it had to be today that Babini came. Just to add to her list of problems, she needed Zarina Jezebel Babini to come in and criticize her every move.

Slowly, hoping that she had misheard Kendra say something, and that Babini wasn't there, Belle removed her hands from her eyes. She was greeted by Zarina Jezebel Babini, standing in the doorway of the Hecate Cabin, carrying a green duffle bag most likely filled with clothes and toiletries. Her dark hair was swept into a neat French braid, unlike Belle's very messy bun that she had cobbled together two days ago (And yes, it looked like she had slept in it, which she had). Zari's liquefied gold eyes searched the room in somewhat of disdain.

"Have you not cleaned recently? I thought inspection day was today." Zari said. Belle shot her a sour look.

"We're a little busy, Babini, so I would prefer it if you run along and do whatever you do in your spare time. Terrorize children or something." Belle turned back to the scrying bowl and picked it up. The remainder of the water and oil sloshed around ominously. Now she had to go refill it and get more oil _and_ see if she could get the stain out of her t-shirt!

"I don't terrorize children. You do that just fine on your own." Zari replied coldly, storming over to the bed that had long since been assigned to her. She dropped her duffle bag on it. While her back was turned, Belle stuck her tongue out at the other daughter of Hecate. Their rivalry had started when Zari had come Camp two years ago. She had already been advanced in her magic, since that was the time that Belle had been claimed. Of course their personalities clashed like fire and water, Zari being fire, Belle being water. When Zari had "single-handedly won Capture the Flag", Belle had lost is completely and yelled at her. Ever since then, they hadn't been on good terms at all, and that was fine by Belle.

"At least I have to attempt to do it for a good laugh. You just do it automatically. I'm getting more water and oil, Kenny." Belle turned on her heel before Zari would make a retort, leaving the older girl opening and closing her mouth like a fish out of water.

The sun was so bright that Belle had to shield her eyes with one hand. She blinked several times, her pupils growing used to the bright light.

There were many things that Belle disliked about Zari. She disliked how controlling the girl was. She disliked how Zari was always the center of attention. She disliked how Zari claimed to be selfless but sometimes only wanted to serve her own purposes. She hated the fact that Zari seemed to be Hecate's favorite daughter. Of course Zari was Hecate's favorite. The goddess had just dumped Belle into her father's arm over a fast food counter.

But most of all, Belle was pretty sure that she hated how perfect Zari always looked. Her hair was always perfectly windswept, her eyes always perfectly gold, and her makeup always perfectly applied (Not that Belle wore makeup, she didn't have time to put it on. She had some back in Cincinnati that she wore on special occasions, but the life of a demigod was demanding.) How could Zari find the time to do her makeup like that if she wasn't secretly a daughter of Aphrodite? Zari's skin was perfectly light brown, a little bit lighter than Paris's. Her eyebrows were perfectly arches, her tiny lips were perfectly red, and her eyes were perfectly large! Argh, why did she have to be so perfect? Belle had wondered this many times.

If she had taken a step back, she was sure that she would have seen that Zarina Jezebel Babini was not as perfect as she appeared in Belle's mind. She probably would have gotten along with Zari if they had been a little different.

But as it was, Belle thought that Zari was as perfect as Elysium, and she was just… not. She stopped angrily by the lake to look at her reflection. She looked like death itself, exhausted, pale and a little sickly. She didn't have the energy to make her eyes blue, so instead they were green. Her hair was tangled and knotted, piled messily atop her head. Her button nose was covered in freckles. She ran her fingers down her forearms. In the last few weeks, she hadn't concealed all of her scars due to the fact it would tire her out. Besides, it just concealed them from sight, not from touch. Her forearms were covered in crisscrossing scars from the claws of a small, catlike, killer fox that had attacked her in her early days as a Demigod. The fact of her hands bore scars from an incident with a psychotic chicken. Across her back ran the scars from the monster claws and the bump from where an arrow had found its mark in a small skirmish. And of course there was the fact that she was short. She was shorter than everyone she knew. She was fairly sure she was a certifiable midget!

She paused, and dragged her toe through the water of the lake, creating ripples. They ran outward, away from her toe. The water was almost always calm, and now the slight movement seemed to disturb the peace. As the water rippled, Belle concentrated. Her entire form seemed to glitter as if it were made of diamonds, and in a moment, she was the spitting image of Zarina Jezebel Babini, right down to the partially missing pinky toe. Of course, the height was one thing that Belle hadn't learned to alter yet. Still, looking at her reflection and seeing Zari instead of her was rather disconcerting. A simple Glamour was all it was – Belle could do one in her sleep – and yet something felt different about it. Slowly, she set the scrying bowl down and got onto her hands and knees. A ways out in the lake, she could see the Naiads swimming around and waving cheerily at her, but she didn't pay them much attention. Instead, she drew her fingers gently through the water, and concentrated on pushing her magic into the liquid.

The sensation was hard to describe. Her whole form was abuzz like a thousand bees were crawling all over her and flying around her. A light tingling started in her stomach, and then it changed to that feeling that one gets after a roller coaster goes into freefall. She felt like lightning was shooting up her arm and into the water. There was a _hiss-popp_ ing sound that filled her ears. A gentle vibration started at the tips of her fingers, where they touched the water. Then, the vibration became more violent, leaving a burning sensation all the way up her arm. Her skin felt like it was on fire too – like burning hot words were being etched into her forearms.

This was unlike any feat of magic that she had cast before. It was light she was fighting against interference.

Her Glamour collapsed, leaving her whole form shaking. Yet still she pushed her energy into the water. Maybe the scrying bowl wouldn't work, maybe she needed something… bigger. She reached with her free hand and knotted her fist in some of the reeds by the shore. Immediately, she felt one of the barriers seemingly fall away. A door had opened up and Belle's mind slipped through. She squeezed her eyes shut for a minute, and then opened them again. The surface of the lake had become a glassy image of Vera, now on her feet.

" _I don't know! I have no idea, alright? You wanted me to get into this Realm of Amphiaraus and yet you haven't told me how!"_ Vera yelled into the darkness. Reflections were cast from the glossy stone walls, and Belle could see the hint of a shadowy figure draped in elaborate robes. It moved towards Vera in a menacing sort of way.

" _Then figure it out, and fact, for soon your life will be forfeit. The Deal has only just begun. You shall be the first casualty if my servants cannot enter the Realm of Amphiaraus._ " That mysterious voice hissed. Belle had a sudden flashback regarding a story that Paul's dad had once told about Kronos rising again. But that couldn't be Kronos, right? Kronos didn't have the magic enough to shield himself from scrying… right?

" _Yeah, right. What Deal?! You've been ranting to me about this mysterious 'Deal' for days, and yet I know nothing about it!"_ Belle had to admit, Vera was rather cunning about the way that she approached getting information about the big baddie. But the figure merely laughed.

" _I could tell you… but then I would have to kill you. And I need you alive. I cannot have me schemes revealed to the puny demigods who will try to stop me. It will only serve to give them false hope. I am destined to cleanse this world back into its original, beautiful chaos!"_ The figure's voice had turned longing.

" _Right. Sounds petrifying,_ " Vera snapped. In the back of her mind, through all the hazy buzzing, Belle was glad that Vera hadn't lost any of her stubbornness or sarcastic streak.

" _Everyone shall quake in fear, my dear. Now, open the door,"_ The voice commanded.

" _If you're so all powerful, why don't you do it?"_ Vera motioned to the stone wall that was hidden by the shadows of the unreliable torches.

" _Foolish child! I need a Child of Death to open that door. But once I do… I shall have an Oracle of my own!_ " The voice cried. The surface of the water suddenly grew very choppy, obscuring the image almost completely, " _You shall break, you shall all break!_ " The final words rang in Belle's head and the image completely disappeared. The buzzing and burning went away, leaving Belle feeling awkwardly breathless. She turned to look at her hand knotted in the reeds, and her heart skipped a beat.

The reed was shriveled up, blackened like it had been burned. It had twisted away from Belle like it had been desperately trying to get away from her as she slowly drained away the power of it. She had killed it.

"Are you alright?" It was David McCarty, his baggy hoodie and equally baggy jeans draped over his small frame. His hood was pulled up over his shaggy blonde hair and his eyes were shaded. He leaned forward, and Belle lurched away from him.

"Get away from me David! I said get away! I don't want to hurt you! I don't know what's wrong with me," She said, motioning desperately toward the black plant. David turned, and realization dawned in his eyes.

"No, Belle, I get it –" He had reached for Belle's arm again. Her feet skidded in the mud and she kicked the scrying bowl into the water. David swore in ancient Greek and lunged for the bowl, which was currently floating out towards the center of the lake like a little bronze boat. He stumbled through the muck near the edge of the lake, and by the time he turned back, Belle was already sprinting for the Hermes Cabin, panic clear in the way she moved. David sighed, resigned. He knew what it was to be afraid of himself. He broke off some of the blackened reed, examining it.

It looked like she had sucked the life right out of it – but that was impossible, right? She wasn't some daughter of death.

.o0O0o.

Amelia Martinez did not expect to find anyone in the Hermes Cabin. She was on Cabin Inspection duty, even though no one really cared at the moment. She had been walking around, checking all the Cabins, when she had heard scraping from inside the Hermes Cabin. Curiously, she peeped around the doorframe. Belle sat, her knees pulled up to her chest, rolling marbles dejectedly around the floor. The marbles had apparently come from a metal tin of them sitting next to her. It looked like a battered old dominos tin from what Amelia could tell. Amelia was about to turn away and leave Belle in peace – she knew how mad Belle could get when people were too nosy – when Belle's head lifted.

"I know you're standing there." She said quietly.

"How?" Amelia asked. Even _her_ senses weren't that good. Even _Auden's_ senses weren't that good. A small smile split Belle's face.

"I heard you humming earlier." She stopped rolling the marbles on the wooden floors and twisted around to look at Amelia. Amelia took a step back, a little surprised at what she saw. She knew Belle – everyone knew Belle, usually not in a good way. She was known as the friend of Paul's, the fierce defender of her friends, the magician who was a little bit… quirky to put it nicely. But Amelia had never really talked to her. And she had never seen Belle look so terrible.

The girl's cheeks were hollow, her skin like paper, her eyes weakly flashing between blue and green. Her red hair looked bedraggled. She was exhausted. She'd been overworked. She was of no use to the Camp in this state.

"You're not looking to good," Amelia pointed out.

"I know. I just… I needed a minute. I'm going to go back and get back to work in a moment. I just… I can't believe it. I was scrying with lake water, and I grabbed ahold of a reed and… it died. I sucked all of the energy out of it to feed my own, to feed my spell," Belle sounded miserable, "I can't believe I did that. I've… only ever done it once before. To a clover plant when I had just arrived at Camp and unknowingly used my first magic spell." Belle didn't know why she was telling Amelia this. She had never really told anyone – Hecate had appeared to her in a dream and explained it. Magic took energy from Belle's reservoir. When Belle's reservoir was drained, she needed to find energy elsewhere. Using her slightly necromantic powers, Belle could drain the energy (But not the life force) away from a plant. It was one of those powers that scared her, just like the ability to call on skeletons for aid. Amelia decided to leave Belle in peace. _Who knows,_ Amelia thought, _she might actually fall asleep._

Auden confusedly found Arabelle some minutes later, curled up in the Hermes Cabin, dozing. Of course he couldn't see her face, or anything about her. Heck, he didn't even know what color her hair was. He was guessing blonde. She struck him as blonde. Not that she was a dumb blonde, but she just seemed blonde. Auden attempted to justify his mistake in his mind.

"What's going on?" Belle's whole form stiffened when she heard him talk. She slowly turned around and stared at him.

"You should be at the meeting in the Big House." She told him, yawning. He suddenly felt bad for waking her. She could have done with an extra twelve hours if not more.

"Yeah, maybe. Probably. But I don't want to. All Marley is going to do is yell and scream. By the way, I just saw Zari headed up the Big House. It's safe for your to go back to Hecate Cabin now." Auden said. The ginger-haired girl ran her fingers through her messy scalp right up to her bun.

"That's not why I'm hiding in here, but alright. I should get back to work anyway." Belle sighed. She got to her feet and headed for the door, but Auden, hearing her footsteps, stepped in her way.

"You should sleep tonight. It will help." He told her. Belle didn't smile.

"I'm not sleeping until we find a way to get Vera back. It's partially my fault that she got captured. If I had gotten those skeletons to do the bonds tighter, or if I had woven the brambles a little better…" Belle trailed off.

"Is this what all of this work is about? Proving that you can fix it? You think you did something wrong, and now you want to set it right? Arabelle, that's not what this is supposed to be about." Auden said.

"I don't think you get it, Auden. I could have prevented this from happening and I didn't. I need to fix my mistake." She made an attempt to push past him. Auden stuck out his arm to stop her from going, and stared pointedly at a space three inches above her head. In the back of her mind, Belle was glad he thought she was taller.

"That isn't how balance works. None of it was your fault, in the first place, and secondly, you won't balance it out by spending all night and all day searching for Vera. You'll only find her if you _rest._ " Auden intoned. Belle rolled her eyes, and the remembered to say,

"I'm rolling my eyes Auden," Auden's lips thinned.

"You won't achieve balance in this state. If you really want to find her, you need to actually figure out where she's hidden and how you can get- Belle? Belle?" But Belle wasn't listening anymore. She had suddenly gone whiter than normal, and a new spark had come into her eye.

"That's it! Auden, you're a genius! I know how to find Vera!" She pushed past Auden and grabbed his wrist, sprinting for Hecate Cabin. As soon as she entered, she saw Kendra standing, tapping her foot. Auden slammed into the doorway as if he had hit an invisible barrier, staggering backwards. Blue tendrils of electricity jumped up and down his form, making him shake. His red hair was sticking straight on its ends.

"Oops," Belle's face flushed with embarrassment, "Auden Remi, I give you permission to enter Hecate Cabin. Okay, you can come in now. I should have warned you."

"You're certainly right," Auden muttered under his breath, saying a few swear words, " _Di Immortalies,_ what was that?"

"I put in place a Ward to keep unwanted visitors out," Kendra sniffed, "Belle, would you care to explain to me why David McCarty had to return with a properly filled scrying bowl, not you? You know Hecate doesn't trust the scrying bowl to anyone but Hecate Campers? There's a reason for that. He nearly broke the bowl five times in the Cabin alone, _and_ he broke the handle to our bathroom. I want you to fix that, by the way. _Without magic, thank you very much._ "

"Only if you want it more broken," Belle muttered in a singsong voice.

"I've been scrying for the past forty-five minutes without you. Where have you been?" Kendra demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Taking a cat-nap. Believe me, she needed it."

"I didn't mean to I swear-" Belle started, but Kendra's face had softened a little bit.

"You needed the sleep, Belle. The rest will do you good, I'm sure. I don't mean to be cross with you, but imagine what would have happened if the klutz McCarty boy had broken our scrying bowl. We would have had to resort to using the magic mirror, and you never know what that can end up doing." Kendra said.

"Actually… Kenny, I scryed Vera in the lake water. I don't know how but I did. And I drained the energy out of a plant while doing it…" Belle hung her head, and Auden turned to look at her. She didn't look at him. She knew there would be horror on his face. There had been horror on Paul's face when she had told him. There had been horror on Lilah and her father's faces when she had told them. The only people who had not been horrified were Paris and Silena.

" _Cool! What if you could do that to monsters?_ " Silena had said.

" _We accept you for who you are Belle. Sometimes my abilities scare me as well, but the more afraid of them you are, the more power over you your godly skills hold,_ " Paris had said, sounding awfully poetic.

"I don't care about that. You successfully scryed Vera from the lake? I'll have to talk to Hecate about that when I next go to Olympus." Kendra said

"Now, Kenny, I need to use the scrying bowl real quick," Belle said breathlessly.

"Be my guest. I've been at it for a while, and my head hurts. I think I need to lie down." Kendra frowned. Belle shook her head.

"You might not want to do that yet," She told her Cabin Councilor. She and Auden headed across the room to the scrying bowl, who David must've set back upon the table. It sat there, a glittering bronze bowl looking as pretty as you please, so innocent. No one could have guessed that it could be used to spy on anyone or anything. For the first time, Belle was surprised that Chiron even let them have it. They could use it to listen to top secret meetings of the gods and other important people. It was the biggest invasion of privacy ever. Belle had never really thought about it.

"Why not?" Kendra asked, yawning pointedly. Belle tossed her head.

"Just watch. Please. Okay, show me how to find Vera McStrife!" The oil and water surface of the scrying bowl rippled. An image of Rachel appeared on the surface of the water. Then, it changed to a picture of a glowing green light – the personification of the Oracle of Delphi. A series of rapid images flashed in front of Belle's eyes, finally stopping on a regal looking man with olive skin and short, curly dark hair. He was looking down his nose from a silver and black throne, garbed in purple robes.

" _Find me. Your Oracle is ready to issue a prophecy now._ "

Belle and Paul stumbled away from the scrying bowl as it began to vibrate, and then as if magic, it leaped from the table, flew across the room and shattered against the wall, spilling fragments of beaten bronze, oil and water all over the floor. Belle met Auden's eyes. He had flinched away from the loud noise, but now he was staring at her.

"You heard it too right? Rachel's going to issue a prophecy!" Auden explained. Belle nodded – then paused.

"I'm nodding Auden." She told him. Auden snorted, but said nothing. In unison they turned toward Kendra. Kendra's dark face had suddenly pale a little bit. She nodded.

"You two need to report to the Big House. I need a nap."

.o0O0o.

Paul had his sleeves rolled up. His button-down blue shirt was unevenly buttoned, and his hair was a mess from running his fingers through it over a thousand times. He had been sitting in the Big House for close to three hours, listening to Marley, Chiron and Rachel yell at each other. Annabeth was sitting quietly, surveying the situation with mild interest and analyzing possible methods of searching for Marley's missing sister. Percy was out looking with Frank, Hazel, Leo, Jason and Piper. Calypso sat, her eyebrows drawn together in a frown. Julian, Emily, Maria and Bianca Zhang, Silena and Luka Rodriguez, Thea, June and Jett Grace, Esmee Valdez (Sammy was with Leo), Cecelia (Who sat perched anxiously next to Julian) and Cody Blaire all sat around the table looking bored. Why did _they_ have to sit through this?

"It's been two and a half months since Vera disappeared and you've done nothing!" Marley kept coming back to that same argument over and over again. Chiron massaged his temples.

"My dear boy, we've been doing all we can. Arabelle and Kendra have been scrying Vera, but there seems to be something blocking them from seeing properly. They don't know where she is. All they know is that she is hidden somewhere near the Realm of Amphiaraus," Chiron said patiently.

"Then go and find her!" Marley shouted.

"Sadly, no demigod has ever found the entrance to his Realm, Marley. We _can't_ find her without knowing where to start looking. It might even be back the in Old Underworld in Greece for all we know. Or in Rome. It could be in Russia if we're taking guesses. We're covering ground as fast as we can, but it looks like the only way to find the Realm of Amphiaraus is to have our Oracle issue a prophecy." Chiron explained. Paul could hear the forced calmness in his voice. His patience was beginning to fray.

"Then issue a prophecy!" Marley turned to Rachel. They'd been there three times already. Rachel shook her head sadly.

"The Spirit of Delphi doesn't work that way." She said, sounding forlorn.

"Then make it work that way!" Marley cried.

"Look, Jameson, we've been here nearly every day for the last two and a half months. Don't you think we're doing what we can?" It was Silena, who had suddenly pushed her chair out and stood up. Paul abruptly followed. He hated these meetings, but he was there as Percy's "delegate". Every evening, Percy would message Annabeth and him to check in.

"What you're doing isn't good enough! If it was, Vera would be back by now. You're just lazing around relying on Belle and Kendra-" Marley started, but Paul knew where this was going.

"If you say a word against my friend I will hurt you very badly." He said in a low voice. Annabeth reached and put her hand on his arm.

"That's enough, Paul. I don't think you need to stress Marley any more. He's already dealing with the loss of his sister," She turned to Marley, "We're doing what we can, but right now this _is_ all we can do. I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"Then I'm going out to search for her myself." Marley proclaimed. He made a sharp movement towards the door, but Thea Grace was faster. She leaped for her seat in a neat backflip and landed, her back pressed to the door, her arms splayed out.

"Think about this, Marley, You're just going to get killed." She warned him. She had long blonde hair like her father, usually kept in a sport ponytail. She was the only Grace Child to inherit Jason's pale skin as well. Wendy, June and Jett all had darker, Cherokee Indian looking skin. Her eyes though were like Piper's kaleidoscope and constantly shifting. Marley gave her a withering glance, and tried to push her aside, but she wouldn't have it.

"Get out of my way!" He snarled, raising his fist. Thea raised her own into the defensive position. Her father and mother had taught her martial combat since she was very young. Wendy too – but not June and Jett. The twins were interesting cases of trouble, and they had their own way of taking care of themselves. Thea, who had never shown any affinity towards either parent's godly powers until much later, had been a rather helpless demigod. So ever since she was six, she'd been doing Aikido, Tae Kwan Do, Karate, Jiujutsu and Hapkido. She wasn't about to be threatened my Marley raising his fist at her. Besides, he would never hit a girl… would he?

"You're going on a death mission if you think you can find her. Let Vera handle it." She replied.

"I can't sit back and do nothing. I've done nothing for long enough. And I can't… my parents… I can't tell my parents that I _lost_ my little sister. I can't imagine how they'll look at me." Marley hung his head as if in shame. Thea's gaze softened just slightly. She was a stubborn pain in the neck most of the time. She and Jason were constantly at odds because she wanted to follow in her older sister Wendy's footsteps and join the Hunters. She knew what it felt like, not wanting to see the disappointment in her parents eyes.

"I know you don't. We'll try to find her, and hopefully, you'll never have to tell them." She said, hoping that would make him feel better. Marley gave her a scathing look.

"I don't have a choice. I'm going to have to tell them eventually, and the longer I wait, the worse it will be. Chiron, can I use your phone?" He turned to stare at Chiron.

"No, Marley. You may not. Thea is right at the moment, you shouldn't tell your parents. You don't need another distraction. But she's not right about keeping it a secret forever. You will need to tell them in the end." Chiron said. Marley rubbed his face.

"Maybe another distraction is what I need. I keep on thinking about how we lost her." He groaned. Thea hovered by his shoulder, staying pressed to the door in case he tried to make a run for it.

"Maybe. I remembered when Percy disappeared I tried-" Annabeth started.

"Annabeth," Chiron warned. He didn't want to start Marley's shouting again. Marley and Annabeth's situations weren't all that different, but he didn't want the younger boy getting the wrong idea. Thea was suddenly thrown away from the door and into Marley, who did his best to catch her before she tipped all the way over, and Auden and Belle paraded into the door, both looking incredibly disheveled, Belle with a large oil stain on the front of her shirt.

"Chiron! Rachel's going to issue a prophecy to find Vera!" Belle cried. Marley whirled from Belle to Chiron to Rachel, looking outraged.

"You said the Spirit of Delphi can't see on command!" He spat. He halfheartedly straightened Thea up. Thea brushed off her shorts and shot him an icy glare.

"It _can't_!" Rachel replied, distressed.

"What is the meaning of this?" Chiron thundered, turning to Belle and Auden. They launched into an explanation of the details, talking over each other, scrambling to get it all out. But right when they got to the flurry of images on the water, Rachel's whole form stiffened. She stared in horror at Belle and Auden, and then her eyes went from their usual green to a bright, intense, glowing green. When she spoke, it sounded like three Rachels were talking at once.

" _Marley - Amphiaraus is found upon a dark throne,_

 _Hidden behind a wall made of stone._

 _Only a child of death can open the gate,_

 _But a daughter of magic shall hold the fate._

 _The Blind will rise to face the feat,_

 _And eight shall set out but two will retreat._ "

Rachel let out a shuddering breath, "That wasn't normal," She said, just as Marley said, "Well what are we waiting for?" Chiron sighed and rubbed his temples.

"This is highly strange. Everyone, return to your cabins, except you, Marley. I want to talk to you. And Rachel, I need a word with you too. It seems we have a quest."

.o0O0o.

The campfire light flickered eerily. Silena enjoyed the flickering of the firelight. It cast strange, dancing shadows across the earth and the faces around it. The mood around the fire was somewhat subdued. All of the Greeks and Romans were muttering amongst themselves about the quest. The last quest had been over ten years ago. Since the mood was so foul, the fire burned low and a dark, dark orange. Starts kept spitting up and flying away on the breeze. No matter which way Silena moved, the smoke seemed to follow her. Paul plopped down next to her.

"What do you think it means?" He asked.

"The prophecy?" Silena asked, exasperated. She had already had several people ask her that question, and she really didn't feel like discussing it. She felt like she wasn't going to be going on this quest, no matter how bad she wanted to. She didn't need to talk about it.

"Yeah. You and I were both there. You heard what Delphi said. A daughter of magic. The Blind. Auden and Belle, and Marley is the quest leader," Paul said.

"It might not be Belle. It could be Zarina or Kendra," Silena said.

"You know it isn't," Paul said, "You know that Belle is going on that quest, don't you? It might not mean a specific child of magic, but I know Marley will chose her as a companion." Silena sighed, and ran her fingers through her dark hair.

"I know, and I don't want her to go," Silena replied, shaking her head. Paul reached forward and took Silena's hand.

"You know she wouldn't have the guts to die on a quest without saying goodbye to us. She'll be back. Believe me, anyone who knows Belle knows she always pops back up from disaster," Paul said. He glanced across the campfire to where she was talking to Amelia Martinez. It looked like Belle was making a new friend.

Just then, there was a shout. Their peaceful evening was disturbed. Paul dropped Silena's hand, and guiltily she wished he hadn't. But she scanned the crowd anyway, looking for danger. She spotted it in the form of a girl, lying face down in the dirt, her dark hair spread over her shoulders. Shadows swirled around her form, but began to dissipate in the firelight. She looked up and her hazel eyes scanned the crowd, all staring at her.

"Where am I?" She asked, "How did I get here?"

 **A couple notes on the chapter:**

 **This is the first chapter about fourteen year old Arabelle that Paris doesn't appear in. She was actually tended to some of the more critically wounded Romans who happen to still be in the Infirmary, though they're mostly all better.**

 **Amelia Martinez usually gets saddled with being Cabin Inspector. She can usually be pretty neutral about it. She, Rodger Nicodemus and Kendra and Chiron's first choices. He knows pretty much everyone else would be biased in some way.**

 **Thea Grace is considered to be the least pretty of the Grace siblings. She inherited Jason's looks for the most part, and has a couple of scars that mar her appearance, including one right above her eyebrow from when she fell on pavement, and one of her chin from when she was riding her bike and managed to face plant. She is however, the sassiest of them all and the most well trained in hand-to-hand combat. She knows how to Judo flip people, kick people, and pretty much defend herself against any enemy without having to have weapons. Her powers are weaker than her siblings, except she can fly with the winds and Charmspeak. She is often at odds with her father. She was named for Theia, in order to honor the Titan of sight and the shining light of the clear blue sky (Consort of Hyperion). She is like her namesake in a lot of ways, and can usually see problems very clearly.**

 **Sammy went with Leo to go and search for Vera. He didn't want to, but Calypso thought it would be good for him to overcome some of his fears. She worries about him a lot. She thinks he worries too much.**

 **Belle and Kendra have been working non-stop to find Vera on Chiron's orders in order to appease Marley, who has been going crazy ever since she disappeared.**

 **Paul can't button his shirts correctly – like, ever. He has tried many times, yet he always has to unbutton them and re-button them. Usually, he has time to do this several times to make sure it's right. That's why he is often times seen wearing t-shirts, not button-down shirts. He only wore one in this chapter because his mom told him to.**

 **Silena has mixed feelings for Paul that she will have to muddle through in the story. It's part of her character development.**

 **You're supposed to use oil and water for scrying, so Kendra was particularly shocked when Belle managed to scry with the lake water. More on this will come later. It has to do with the bad guy/girl.**

 **Ever heard the saying, "All you must do is ask?" Essentially that is what happens in this chapter. Belle and Auden "ask" how to find Vera, and the option presents itself. This will be addressed in more detail later.**

 **Any guesses as to who the evil person is yet? Any at all? I would love to hear them. Anywho, this chapter was long in coming, and it isn't the longest chapter yet. My week's been pretty hectic, but I'm glad I finally got to update. I hope you enjoyed. Please give me feedback on what you think of the characters, how the plot is taking shape, etc. I also want to know how well I am handling the romance factor of it. There isn't a lot of romance, but we shall see. In the later stories about Belle, there** _ **will**_ **be some more.**

 **-PR**


	8. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

In Which The Girl is Answered

 _My evening was just peachy. Like seriously, peachy, I tell you. I was perched on a stump near the fire, which was burning low, mind you, talking to Amelia Martinez. Behind me, Paris was talking to one of the guys we rescued. James? Jamie? I wasn't sure. And then sudden some chick had the blinking nerve to ruin it all by appearing! Honestly people, don't you blighters have any respect for a poor girl anymore?_

"Um. Er, hi?"

That was the first response to the girl's sudden appearance. It had been Rhona Macdonald who had spoken, staring at the girl. Half of Rhona's face was obscured in shadow, the other half illuminated by the fire. Belle was too tired to be surprised. She yawned loudly in the following silence. Paul, who had moved next to her, slapped his hand over her mouth and shot her _the look._ The look was the "You better behave look," combined with the ever-classic "I will kill you later," look. But Belle was tired, so she honestly didn't care. She gave him the, "You just try," look and turned back to the girl with dark hair.

The girl with dark hair was lying face down with her mouth full of dirt. She spat some out and glanced up again. Everyone was still staring at her, their faces pale in the eerily flickering firelight. Why were they all staring at her again? How she had gotten here? One minute she'd been running from the snake-haired woman, and the shadows had bent around her and she was in a summer camp.

Huh.

That was not normal.

"Who are you people?" The girl said, pushing some of her hair out of her eyes and getting to her hands and knees. She looked around. There was a yawning ginger girl; an impatient looking Mexican girl; a boy with chocolate brown hair and weird golden eyes; a girl with short and spikey hair that miraculously covered on of her eyes; and a boy with vividly red hair that was staring at the ground with conviction, like she was still lying on it.

The girl with short and spikey hair moved forward, the first to take initiative. As she drew nearer, the dark haired girl realized that she was Indian, "My name is Paris Arod. I'd introduce you to all of them, but I… well, there are so many of them that I don't think you'd remember them all."

"Right," The dark haired girl said. She was looking around, and Paris rather thought she looked like a cornered animal. There was something desperate in the way that her hands shook as she attempted to get up. There was something panicked in the way that she kept glancing around at everyone. Her hair and eyes were dark, but her clothes were an odd mix of Gothic and whatever-she-could-find-on-the-street. She wore a silver-studded leather jacket that looked like it had seen better days over a dark, olive green t-shirt sporting the logo _Ten Thousand Maniacs_. She wore stretch pants instead of jeans, and her knees were caked with mud. She wore ankle-high black leather boots, but her rust-colored socks were pulled up to be visible. Her teal nail polish was heavily chipped in several places, leaving her looking rather like a ragamuffin runaway. She carried an ugly lime and crimson backpack.

"What's your name?" Paris asked.

"Coal. Coal Star," Coal spat out a little more dirt out of her mouth and stared around. A vaguely Hispanic looking boy sudden popped out of the crowd, looking cheery, if not irritated. How someone could look both at the same time, no one really knew.

"Coal! What an interesting name. My name is Luka, and you can follow me. We're going to the Big House to see Chiron! Don't worry, you'll love him, he's half horse. Let's move out troops!" Luka grabbed Coal's arm, but she yanked away from him violently.

"Get off of me! If I was meant to be controlled, I would be a remote. I don't want to see this Chiron guy. I just want to know what's going on with me!" Coal said, "How the heck did I get here?"

"Probably Shadow Travel. It seems the most likely option," It was Belle's turn to pipe up. She had kicked Amelia off the stumps they had been sitting on and was not laying across both of them. Coal shot the redhead girl a confused look.

"What's that?" she asked warily. All the muscles in her neck had tightened, and the little hairs on her arms had stood up. Something about this place told Coal to be on her guard, and at the same time sent her mixed signals. She felt like she belonged among these ragtag assortment of kids. Each of them had their own story hidden behind masks of indifference or concern. Eat of them had faced their own tragedies and demons, just like Coal had. She had had no idea earlier today she was going to be suddenly transported to a mysterious place, but now she was there. She may as well get some answers as to why strange things kept happening to her.

When Coal was seven, her foster parents had gotten her a gerbil. She was sure that those foster parents were going to adopt her, but they'd sent her back into the system like all the others. Yet they had bought her a gerbil maybe a month before they sent her back. After she had gotten the gerbil, they had taken Coal on a vacation for one and a half weeks, and the house-sitter had forgotten to feed her rodent. When she had returned, she had found her gerbil dead from starvation. Yet as she reached forward to pick it out of the cage to show her foster parents, the gerbil had lifted its head. So she had screamed. She had been sure that it was dead. She had watched it not breathe for minutes at a time. She had wished it had still been alive, and then it had been.

That was just the beginning of her problems. She had had a bad dream the night before her case worker showed up to take her back to the orphanage – the next morning, every single bone that their dog had buried in the yard had been turned up and was lying on the grass as innocent (or suspicious) as could be. The case worker had commented, and her foster parents had looked shocked. They hadn't known about the bones, and seeing as the dog had been kenneled all night… there seemed only one possible culprit.

Coal.

And so, despite everything that Coal had tried, everything that Coal had done, she was still a freak, and outcast, the creepy girl who killed the class lizard and brought it back. Like Dr. Frankenstein, almost. The real monster.

The tears, aches and pains of Coal's childhood haunted her sometimes at night. So she had run from the system, escaped from the Orphanage. Besides, she had been twelve when she ran. No one wanted to adopt a twelve year old, they only wanted to adopt the little kids and babies. Coal had finally accepted she was never getting adopted. So running seemed like the best option.

That was when the monsters had started coming. They had attacked her when she least expected it. It forced her to keep moving, walking across cities to get away from whatever was hunting her.

"We better get you to the Big House. Chiron will definitely want to see you." Paris said, tapping her cheek with her finger absentmindedly and ignoring Coal's previous question. She gently took Coal's arm, and Coal didn't mind as much. Luka had been so rough about it that it had actually hurt, but Paris was more showing Coal the way.

"Come along, Jamie, Belle, Luka, Auden, and everyone else who feels like coming," Paris said, turning to the boy with the strange golden eyes. Coal glanced back at him, and was forced to do a double-take. It was the way he looked at Paris as she led Coal away. There was a certain longing in his gaze, but also a steady caring look that he shot her. Paris seemed completely oblivious – she just beckoned them to come, taking charge very well. Paris met Jamie's eyes, and Coal watched some silent conversation go between them. Paris flicked her free wrist just slightly like she was warding off a fly and shook her head. Jamie cocked his to the side, but she ignored him and turned back to Coal.

"What's the Big House?" Coal asked.

"Camp headquarters I suppose would be the best way to describe it. It's where Chiron stays for the most part, and Mr. D. Generally where we hold our war councils too, so it's sort of the multipurpose beach house in the middle of Camp," Paris explained. Coal's dark hazel eyes widened until they were as large as saucers.

"What is this place?" She repeated her question from earlier.

"I think it's best if you get it all at once. It might be easier to digest instead of having more and more questions. Chiron will tell you," Paris said firmly, and began to lead Coal towards the Big House. Most of the people around the campfire got up grumbling and headed after Paris and Coal.

Luka turned back to Jamie, "Are you coming?"

"No, I'm staying here to work on my cottage cheese sculpture," Jamie replied sarcastically, before sprinting to catch up. He glanced at Paris's back. He had seen the comprehension in Coal's eyes for just a second, and he had known that he was caught. At least no one else knew.

Thea Grace caught up with Marley, who was looking considerably grumpier than he had been when he was shouting at the council earlier that day. His hair was a mess, and in the dark light of the almost-new moon, he looked ghostly. Thea wondered if it was a side effect of him being the son of Nox. She didn't know. She'd never really met Marley until she had been forced to attend the weekly meetings where he screamed at Chiron for several hours straight. At Camp Jupiter, she had been raised mostly in New Rome. Her father was just a touch over-protective, and rarely let her leave the city, not even for War Games. She attended school, and her academic scores went through the roof. She was fit as a fiddle physically, and she had no idea why Jason had started keeping her in the city. When she had been younger, she had been able to leave and visit Camp Jupiter. She even had the Fifth Cohort tattoo to prove it, with an eagle and dove flying together to symbolize a daughter of Jason and Piper – Jupiter and Aphrodite. But after Wendy had joined the Huntresses, things had changed.

And not for the better.

"You look mad," Thea observed, casually brushing some of her loose hairs out of her eyes. Marley turned a withering gaze on her.

"I talked to Chiron about the prophecy. I don't know what's going to happen, but if two turn back, I'm guessing three are dying," Marley said it so nonchalantly, like death was something that happened everyday (Admittedly it did, but Thea's life hadn't involved very much death so far and she wanted to keep it that way). Thea gave a little cough.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"Think about it – the only quest that more than three people survived on was the Prophecy of Seven, and even Leo died. Well, sort of died… I'm not sure, I've never been clear on that one," Here Marley rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "But all other quests that I've heard of having more than three people on them… only three ever come back,"

"Don't be daft. Whoever you pick to go with you will be capable of taking care of themselves well enough. They'll all come back," Thea said.

"You mean we'll all come back. I want you to come. I decided that today when I saw you ready to keep me from leaving. Heck, I didn't even know I was going on a quest, but I decided that I wanted you to come," He glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, but she wasn't looking at him. She was looking at her hands intently, like they were the most interesting items in the world. There was a long scrape along her left palm, Marley noticed, and it looked red and raw like she hadn't really attended to it.

"Like my Dad would let me go. I think that he's afraid I'm going to run off and join the Hunters of Artemis," Thea said.

"Mr. Grace won't let you go if I told him I'm talking you with me?" Marley asked a little incredulous, "Doesn't he want you to help people?"

"He'd rather keep me safe," Thea said shaking her head. She twirled a thin silver band on her right hand ring finger without really paying attention.

"So why'd he let your sister run off and join the Hunters?" Marley couldn't keep himself from asking. He immediately regretted it. Thea's face hardened like a mask. Her eyes turned steely and she lifted her chin.

"He wasn't aware of what was happening. Neither was Mom," She said coldly, " _I_ helped Wendy go through with it." Marley would pretty much watch her mental barriers go up after that. She wouldn't say another word to him, no matter how hard he tried to start a conversation with her. Finally he gave up and looked forward instead. Belle was walking next to Paul, her arm slung around his shoulder like she was leaning on him for support. She looked half-asleep. All the muscles in Paul's neck had stiffened. Silena walked on their other side, glowering. Marley blanched. He hadn't realized-

His thoughts were interrupted by a dark-skinned girl – a Hecate Camper as her eyes flashed angrily between brown and gold – who slammed into him hard and nearly knocked him to the ground. Reflexes caused Thea to reach out and grab him under the arms, pulling him to safety and upright. He spared her a glance. She was still glowering at him. The Hecate Camper picked herself off the ground.

"Yeesh! I should really watch where I'm going! Zari just told me, there's been a new prophecy issued!" Belle whipped around when she heard Kendra's voice and disentangled herself quickly from Paul.

"That's old news. You'll never believe what happened next –" Belle started to explain very rapidly just as Paul started to explain at equal speed. Kendra looked slightly confused, and held up one hand.

"You know what? I think I've got it. But Belle, I want to see you later about the prophecy. I need to talk to you about it. And Zari," Kendra added. Marley could almost watch Belle's entire form slump as soon as Zari Babini's name was mentioned again.

By the time they reached the Big House, which really wasn't that long of a walk from the Campfire, maybe only five minutes, Belle was in pretty bad spirits. She was going to have to sit through a lecture about being the daughter of magic. There were no other female Hecate Campers really. So it was either Kendra, Zari or Belle. The large group of people clambered up the battered old steps onto the porch and slowly filed inside the Big House. Coal was looking around, her eyes wide. Her jaw worked up and down like she was trying to say something, but no words came out.

Normally, Chiron would have joined the campers by the campfire, and they would sing silly songs until midnight. But after the Prophecy had been discussed at length with Marley and Rachel, he had locked himself in his office and refused to see anyone.

When Belle knocked, she could have sworn she heard him jump inside. Then his tired voice issued from behind the door.

"Come in, Miss Arakataren," he said.

"You might want to come out. See, there's quite a few of us. It seems we have a development," Belle replied, being purposely vague in hopes of coaxing the centaur out.

"This better be good, Belle." Chiron muttered in a tired voice. Belle looked over her shoulder at Coal and the other campers.

"Believe me, it is." Belle answered.

When Chiron emerged from his office, his form compacted to a wheel chair, he stared at all the assembled campers. This had to be half the Camp! Belle, Jamie, Paris and Marley were standing at the front of the group with a thin dark haired girl. She was looking around, her mouth slightly open. Thea, Julian and Cecil hovered at Jamie's shoulders.

"Once again I ask, what is this place? Does anyone answer me? No." The dark haired girl muttered. Chiron had been trained for new campers, and immediately took charge.

"Welcome to Camp Half Blood." He said. The girl gave him an incredulous look.

"Have you considered a less racist name by chance? You'll attract more tourism." The girl stated. Chiron frowned, and turned pointedly to Belle.

"Now why does this sound so familiar?" He asked.

"I have no idea," Belle responded, fluttering her eyelashes innocently, "But now that you say it, I am getting a sense of Deja vu." Chiron sighed and shook his head. He didn't need two Belles running around. That would only serve to make the situation at Camp worse. He was already dealing with the backlash from Olympus on the battle right on the doorstep of Camp. He hadn't even figured out what was going on yet!

"How did you come to Camp? Did you just get over the border? We should have heard you." Chiron frowned.

"That's just it-" the dark haired girl started.

"We think she Shadow Traveled into Camp." Marley interrupted. Chiron looked at him sternly.

"Are you sure, Marley?" He demanded.

"Near positive, seeing as she just appeared in the middle of the Campfire circle in a weird and unexplained way," Marley spoke, "I've seen children of Pluto – sorry, Hades – do it before."

"It felt like Shadow Traveling. The air changed, and there was the smell of damp earth on the wind," Auden piped up from where he stood next to Silena. Marley shot him a funny look.

"How could you possibly know that?" He asked.

"Nico told me about it a long time ago. It's simple really, and my senses are heightened enough seeing as I can't see," Auden said a bit bitterly, "All godly abilities and powers have certain scents, feels, tastes or sounds. I can just pick them up better than other demigods can."

"So what should we do?" Jamie concluded, stepping in.

"You can start by explaining a few things. What exactly is Shadow Traveling? How could I do it? What is this place? Why did I end up here?" the dark haired girl started talking in very rapid English, and then sudden she switched to Greek and then back to English. Chiron frowned.

"Interesting indeed. A fascinating ability," Chiron said, which only seemed to serve the girl's frustration even more.

"Will anybody tell me anything around here?" She demanded, her voice rising.

"Let's just get a few things straightened out," It was Paris, absent-mindedly tucking her hair over her eye, "This is Coal Star. Coal, this is Chiron." Chiron stared at Paris, it was one of the few times that she was being at all direct. He glanced back at Coal, certain that her eyes would be as big as saucers, but they weren't. The thirteen year old simply looked uncomprehending and out of place in her slightly Gothic, tattered clothes among the sea of orange and purple t-shirts, both vivid and faded. Her eyes, like chips of obsidian, looked around as if she was searching for an exit route. Chiron knew that look - many demigods had it. He had seen it on Paris's face when he had found out the root of her fear of fire. He had seen it on Marley's face, mixed with grief and pain after Vera had been taken. He had seen it on Belle's face when she had first summoned skeletons to aid her in battle.

He remembered the day very clearly. There had been a game of Capture the Flag the night before, so Chiron had guessed most of the monsters weren't around. He had called a meeting with the Council of Cloven Elders to discuss Grover's young Dryad daughter Larkspur. Belle had wandered from the meeting place and fallen into a den on sharp-fanged foxes. They'd clawed her arms, and she had screamed. Chiron still could recall how panicked and stricken Paul had looked when he had heard that scream. Chiron and he had rushed to rescue Belle, but skeletons had risen from the earth to protect her. She has done it without meaning to, and no she has been looking for an escape. Chiron sometimes couldn't shake the feeling Belle still had nightmares about that.

Belle watched Chiron critically, like she knew exactly what he was thinking about. He watched her left arm creep up and run along her wrist and forearm.

"Aren't you surprised or anything? This is _Chiron_!" Paris repeated, a little taken aback. Coal let out a false strangled sound and pretended to look surprised for a moment. She fell back into her normal resting position and rolled her eyes.

"Sorry, I failed History. And Social Studies. And anything to do with current events. It's not as if I have internet access to look up the news. Do you mind telling me who you are?" Coal demanded. Paris looked at Chiron, looking helpless. Chiron gave her a welcoming smile, which she halfheartedly returned.

Paris was an interesting case. Out of all of the campers at Camp Half Blood, she was among the best of moral character. She had a heart, she genuinely cared. But Chiron also knew that if she had a heart, it could be broken, and sometimes the way she acted, it just seemed too easy to break. He didn't know if Paris was interested in any boys at Camp, but he severely hoped that she wasn't.

Then of course there was the fear of fire. The fear of loss. The fear of losing _someone_ else.

It had taken Paris years to overcome this, and Chiron didn't want her falling back now. He'd talked to her for hours at a time, whenever she was at Camp. He wanted to make sure she was okay, especially after all that the Fates had put her through, and what the Fates were about to put them _all_ through. Chiron didn't know when it was to begin, but eighteen years ago, he had received a warning from the Fates. They told him that danger was always prevalent, and to watch for when the next Great Conquest was to begin.

Chiron now wondered, after talking to Marley and Rachel that afternoon, if it had just started.

"Chiron the Centaur was the one good centaur-" Belle started.

"More like non-partying centaur, to be more accurate," Silena cut in from behind Belle. Belle pulled a face – she had never met the Party Ponies and had no desire to do so. They sounded like a bunch of rowdy rednecks.

"A centaur is a creature who is half human, half horse. Their torso is that of a human male, while their lower half is that of a horse. Traditionally, Chiron trained heroes in the Greek myths," Belle finished.

"Yeah, but he doesn't look like a centaur!" Coal said, motioning to Chiron's wheelchair confined form. Somewhere behind her, several people snickered. Chiron massaged his temples and shot the crowd an irritated look. He'd just had a lengthy Iris Message from Olympus discussing the prophecy with Zeus, he was not in the mood for something like this, especially with all the bystanders.

"I like to remain in wheelchair form for the first meeting. Sadly, I don't have enough _space,_ " he emphasized the word space to make sure people got the message to leave. No one did, "To get out of wheelchair form. But believe me, when I'm in proper form, you'll believe everything,"

"Does you being a horse man explain the monsters that keep attacking me? Or what this place is?" Coal demanded. Chiron gave her a wry smile.

"This is a summer camp my dear, for people like you. For children of the Greek gods!"

Seeing that she was no longer really needed, Belle ducked around Paul, Silena and Auden, and past Cecil, whose hands rested on Julian's shoulders, trying to see over his shoulder. She was failing, being a lot shorter than him. Julian had cleared six feet last summer.

As she left, Thea caught sight of her leaving and darted after her. The blonde girl was ten times more nimble than Belle, which was saying a lot since Belle had taken gymnastics as a child and up until she had started living fulltime at Camp Half Blood roughly a year and a half ago. Thea's eyes scanned Belle's face.

"You're dreading going to talk with Kendra, aren't you?" Thea asked.

"With Zari, but yes," Belle corrected.

"Oh, right. _Zari._ What's you deal with her anyway? She's nice enough to me, though I can tell she likes to be in contr- _oh,_ " Thea stopped mid-word, her eyes widening. She knew what controllers looked like. June and Wendy were both controllers. Thea could sense herself doing it too, though she did try to restrain herself for the most part.

"What?" Belle grumbled, looking grumpy.

"You both like control," Thea said.

"I don't _like_ control. I usually don't _have_ control. If you haven't noticed, that would be the Fates. And apparently Paul. And Silena, and pretty much everyone but me. I'm not meant to lead, I suppose. Every time I've tried, I've failed or made enemies," Belle said, brushing a loose strand of hair behind her ear. Her bun was starting to lean dangerously to the left, "Don't get me wrong, I wish I could control everything. Maybe then I wouldn't be so anxious about _literally everything._ But that isn't going to happen anytime soon. And controlling folks? Ah, no thanks. Forget about it." Belle shook her head, making her bun wobble. Thea eyed the precarious hairdo with mild interest.

"Sometimes we don't get a choice," Thea spoke.

"Hopefully I will. I'm not cut out to be a leader, I have discovered," Belle said matter-of-factly. Thea studied the younger girl's face. She may have tried to take control at times, but once she had control, she didn't know what to do. She kept freaking out. She was afraid that she was going to make the wrong choice and end up hurting her friends.

"Give yourself more credit!" Thea exclaimed.

"Ah, no, thank you. I've given myself all the credit I deserve," Belle mumbled. Thea stared at her blankly.

"You know who I was named for?" Thea asked.

"Yeah, you don't need to tell me again!" Belle snapped.

"Names have power, Belle. I inherited some of her abilities. I can see clearly, and I can tell you that you are better at leading, and better at defending, and better at protecting than you think. You need to have confidence. This self-doubt needs to end. You can't waste your life away trapped in a big black hole of self-pity! Accept who you are, because that ain't changing, so get used to it. Frankly, what you need is to be more confident. Sure you talk like you are, but I mean inside. Stop worrying so much and, I don't care how cheesy this sounds and don't you dare laugh, _live._ " Thea said.

"Thanks for the pep talk, Grace, but I should be getting back to the Cabin. I'll think about what you said, but don't expect an immediate change," Belle said. Thea snorted. She didn't expect any change. Belle was stubborn that way. She turned back and heading towards the Zeus Cabin. Though Jett and June had opted to stay in the Aphrodite Cabin, claiming that it was considerably less creepy, if a bit girly, Thea always stayed in Cabin One. She liked her little alcove there, where could hide out and no one would come looking for her.

Meanwhile, Belle trotted along towards the Hecate Cabin. Clouds had rolled in over the moon, leaving swirling shadows on all sides. Belle rubbed her arms. There was a chill in the air, even though it was early summer.

"Apple! Cinnamon! Wait up, shorty!" Belle turned to see Paul sprinting towards her, waving his arms. His shirt was unevenly buttoned, Belle noticed with slight disapproval. How had she not seen that earlier?

"Yes, Paul?" She asked, her voice tired and strained. Everything that Thea had said had taken a lot out of her.

"I think you should know, Silena is scared for you. She doesn't want you to go questing-" Paul started.

"Who said anything about me going questing?" Belle demanded.

"No one, but we all know it's you – the Daughter of Magic. Or Zari, or Kendra, but Silena seems convinced that it's you-" Paul began to talk very fast, and usually Belle could keep up, but her tired brain protested.

"Paul, slow down." She commanded. He sighed, and rolled his eyes. They glinted in the merest hint of moonlight that was left showing from behind the clouds.

"Sorry, Cinnamon. Silena's afraid that if you go on a quest, you're going to die. She's worried about you," Paul said slowly and deliberately. Belle smiled.

"I don't think Silena worries about anyone," She pointed out.

"You're wrong. She worries about her best friend," Paul argued. Belle snorted.

"She worries about you more. How can you not notice?" Belle crowed. Then she had the urge to clap her hand over her mouth, she shouldn't have said that. It was wrong. But it apparently went over Paul's head.

"Notice what?" He questioned.

"Nothing," Belle waved it off, "Don't worry, Paul, we'll be fine. I won't let anything happen to myself or anyone else _if_ I go on the quest at all." Paul's expression softened just a touch and his own worry ebbed.

This was _Belle._

The same girl who had fought monsters, pushed herself beyond her limits, and tried to save the Romans when they'd been kidnapped. This was his best friend who was brave, strong and lively. Nothing could kill her. Not when she seemed so… _alive._

She was short, but the rest of her height was made up of attitude. She didn't take nothing from nobody. She was fierce, and protected her friends with a passion. She was selfless, she would sweep someone behind her to get them out of fire. She would take a hit for a complete stranger. She believed that all lives needed to be protected. Paul even thought she was very pretty, with her long red hair and constantly changing eyes, like she couldn't decide if she liked blue or green eyes better. And yet Arabelle couldn't see any of that. Paul didn't understand why she was so insecure.

"Alright. I just thought you should know," Paul said. He paused, as if about to say more, and then shook his head, "Yeah. I thought you should know," A small smile cracked Belle's face.

"I'm glad." She said. She gave him a fleeting hug, and then looked up at the sky.

"You'd better get back to the Big House, or your Cabin. It looks like it's going to rain," She commented. Paul followed her gaze, he had no choice but to agree. He turned away and broke into a sprint towards the Big House. He wanted some answers about the new girl. Belle headed in the direction of the Hecate Cabin. When she arrived on the doorstep, she was greeted by the sight of Zari and Kendra. Zari looked like she had been crying, and Kendra looked sympathetic. Belle fought down a surge of jealousy. There was no chance that she could be the Daughter of Magic that the prophecy talked about. It would be Zari, it would always be Zari.

Belle didn't like how sneakily Zari tried to control things. She didn't care for the way that Zari handled problems, but the scariest thing for Belle was that she saw all of _her_ good traits in Zari, plus a few more. Belle always felt like the other girl was trying to be condescending towards her.

For Zarina Jezebel Babini, Belle was confusing. The Indian girl found Belle irksome and usually tiring. Belle's snarky, stubborn personality was what had gotten in the way of their friendship. Belle had been showing Zari and a group of new campers the Weapons Closet on Zari's first day. Zari had been one of the greatest minds in her history class back home and knew all sorts about medieval weaponry. The swords – from longswords to hand-and-a-half swords to falchions to scimitars – were all familiar to her. The axes, knives, and maces too. The only thing she struggled with were the bows, but that was explainable seeing as fewer bows had survived since the Middle Ages. Zari had stepped in and started to help Belle explain – then she had decided that she and Belle would get along great. They had similar personalities, and Belle's gentle teasing of the novices had put them all at ease. But soon Belle had lost her temper and yelled that she didn't need help.

" _Everyone needs help, Belle, dear. You need to recognize that,_ " Zari had said, irritated. She had said it calmly enough, but it had come out exceedingly condescending, even to Zari's own ears. Belle was plenty angry at that point and she practically roared that if Zari was so smart, why she didn't finish the tour of the Camp herself!? That had been the beginning of Zari's general coldness towards Belle really, though Belle became cold during Capture the Flag, when Esmee Valdez had claimed that Zari had won the Capture the Flag game single-handedly. Of course, that hadn't been true, Belle and her group (including Cecil, Paul and Silena, as well as a few assorted other campers like Cody Blaire and Paris) had helped a great deal, and yet Zari found it was quite easy to "forget" what Belle had done. It wasn't that Zari wanted to be mean or anything, she just found it easier to be lofty and aloof towards Belle.

The only time that resolution had faltered was yesterday.

She had had a surprise visit with her father and hadn't gone with the Romans to Camp Half Blood. She and her dad had gone skiing in Canada, and he had announced his engagement to a woman named Brianne "Brie" Spinner. Zari hadn't been pleased with this, but she didn't make a scene out of it. She was sure she would grow to like Brie Spinner, a pretty Broadway actor with the most beautiful vocals ever. Then, on the plane on the way to Camp Half Blood, a child had been screaming and kicking the back of her seat, the person next to her who was swearing loudly when talking to his buddy across the aisle, and not one but two yipping Chihuahuas.

Needless to say, Zari had had a pounding headache by the time that Argus had picked her up from the airport. When Belle had been screaming at the top of her lungs in the Hecate Cabin, Zari just couldn't keep the frustration in. She took it out on the only person that she didn't care as much if she lost – Belle.

"I need to talk to you, both of you. If one of us is the Daughter of Magic," Kendra said.

"One of us is, it has to be, we're the only children of Hecate that are daughters. The rest are sons, unfortunately," Belle muttered.

"Why unfortunately?" Zari asked. Belle gave her a scathing look.

"Since all of the male children of Hecate are blatantly incompetent when it comes to doing anything," Belle snapped. Zari bit her tongue. Her headache still hadn't fully gone away, leaving her a little bit irritated at everything. She rubbed her temple. She shouldn't say anything that she would regret later.

"That's not the point. One of us is the Daughter of Magic, so we need to discuss what happens when we go on the Quest," Kendra said.

"What's there to discuss? We go, we save Vera, we fight a few monsters along the way. It can't be that hard, can it?" Belle asked bluntly. Kendra sighed, one of those deep, almost exasperated sighs that usually drove Belle crazy. She fisted the material of her yoga pants.

"It's not that simple or that easy. You'll be in danger. If whatever is holding Vera catches wind that one of us will 'hold the fate' that's what the prophecy says, isn't it? Anyway, if whatever is holding Vera catches wind of that, we'll be in grave danger," Kendra confided.

"Then we handle it. We take them down," Belle said. Zari was quiet, but for once she agreed with Belle. All three of the daughters of Hecate could handle themselves in a fight. Kendra was probably the most capable of all of them. It was why she was Cabin Counselor.

"I don't think it will be that simple," Kendra stated slowly.

"Why not?" Belle questioned, cocking her head to one side. Kendra's lips thinned.

"They'll go after you, blackmail you, try to hurt you. It's how monsters' minds work. They want to cause Demigods as much pain as they can," Kendra spoke, "This won't be easy for anyone who goes on the Quest, I will tell you that. I asked Hecate when I dreamed about her when I took my nap. She told me that this wasn't going to be easy for anyone, but it is necessary."

"Why?" Zari inquired softly.

"She said that a world is never without danger for long, but she can't see what's coming. It's shielded to her and Apollo, and even the Oracle of Delphi," Kendra sighed, "We're in for a wild ride. We better turn in for the night, tomorrow Marley will chose who will join him on his Quest. We better all be well rested," She shook her head slightly. Belle and Zari prepared for bed. When it came time to brush their teeth, they stood shoulder to shoulder in the bathroom, without speaking, in cold silence. Belle flopped down on her bed, pulling her covers up to her chin. She snuggled down amongst the blankets. Though it was a summer night, there seemed to be a biting chill in the air. She closed her eyes, and could already tell she wasn't getting a wink of sleep.

Halfway across Camp, in Cabin One, Thea stood in front of the large statue of Zeus. He looked down at her, a frown on his face. She wondered if he was really this disapproving in person. He would probably disapprove of her and her weak powers.

As she slipped into the alcove though, past the prying eyes of the giant statue of her grandfather, there came a short rap on the cabin door. She paused, and then sprinted across the large open cabin. She slid to a halt in front of the door, and peeped out. Marley was standing there when she opened the doors up, rolling her eyes. He looked a little frazzled from the night's adventures, even though Thea was sure that it was nothing compared to what was coming. It was raining hard, like a summer storm had blown in from the ocean. Water droplets streaked his face, running down his cheeks like tears he hadn't yet shed. He wore a dark colored coat, with the hood partially pulled up, and fingerless gloves.

"What's up Marles?" She asked.

"Please don't call me that," Marley said, reaching up and running his hands through his wet hair, "May I come in?"

"Let me see, let a boy I don't know very well into the place that I sleep? Ah, no. I'll come out," Thea said. She closed the door, ran back to her alcove and picked out her green rain jacket. She pulled it over her shoulders, and grabbed the lumpy woolen camp that her mom had knitted for her when Piper had decided she wanted to learn to knit. Thea returned to the door and slipped out. She wasn't concerned about the Harpies that patrolled the Camp at night – they rarely came out in the rain. Besides, Zeus must be annoyed at Camp. It didn't rain there unless he let it in.

It was only when Thea took a step that she realized that she didn't have any shoes on. Her toes squelched unappealingly in the mud.

"What do you need?" She questioned the older boy. Marley stuffed his hands in his pockets and started walking. Thea trailed behind him curiously.

"You'll never believe the dream I just had. It has to do with the quest," Marley paused, and turned back towards Thea, "I think I was right, I need to be afraid for who's going to die on this quest."

 **Some Notes on the Chapter:**

 **Coal didn't know that she was a Demigod before she came to Camp. She knew that she was special and different, and could fight, but she didn't know that she was really a Demigod. Her real parents being dead, she got placed in the Foster Care System, which was pretty harsh on her, leaving her beat up and more than a little traumatized. As she got older, and her powers really started to manifest themselves. It was at first something that really scared her, and disrupted her life with her multiple foster parents. When she grew more accustom to them, she could control them better. Still, running seemed like the best option.**

 **Coal wears a mismatch of clothing. Though she's not a Goth, and isn't depressed like most children of Hades, she wears whatever she can get her hands on and that tends to be a little more Gothic. She doesn't own much mortal money, and most of it is allotted to bus fair, food and places to sleep. The remainder of the money goes towards clothes at the Goodwill. If she can't get something there, she steals it. Due to her lack of cash (She's essentially financially strapped), she doesn't get to cut her hair often (and if we're really getting down to it, she doesn't bathe often, but she sneaks into RV Parks and uses their showers whenever she can).**

 **Coal carries a backpack full of supplies, and is ready for anything. She carries a Celestial Bronze staff that she keeps hidden in the shadows and can pull out to fight monsters. She got it from her first battle. She's been in several with various Monsters. She scent is stronger, seeing as she is a daughter of Hades. She doesn't know it until she joins Camp Half Blood, but her running is really a good thing.**

 **While Coal was in the Foster System, she did gymnastics and is very nimble. She's not used to falling on her face, she's usually more graceful. Belle was also a gymnast, though she's considerably less graceful than Coal.**

 **Silena is very good at hiding her emotions, and keeping secrets. Can anyone gather the biggest secret she's keeping? I've spelled it out pretty obviously.**

 **There is definitely more to come on Paris and her fear of fire. It actually plays an important role in the upcoming story. Any guesses about why?**

 **Zari had a really sucky flight inspired by my own flight that I took recently. It was crazy, and I was really short-tempered when I got off the plane. So that's where Zari's irritation comes from. She couldn't handle yelling after hearing it for a solid… how long is between the west coast and the east coast… seven hours maybe? It was a nonstop flight too, so she couldn't really get away from the yelling, yipping and swearing either.**

 **Thea Grace is the first companion that Marley chose, though he does have an idea in his head of who he wants with him. Anyone have any bets on who is going on the quest?**

 **When Belle first came to Camp Half Blood, and when Chiron told her the name, she said the first thing that came to her mind, "That's racist!" That's why Chiron got Déjà vu when Coal talked about the racism of the name.**

 **Paul knows about Arabelle's insecurities and he's tried to help them, but to no avail. It's her own battle she has to fight, but that doesn't stop him from trying to interfere. He cares greatly for her, and wants her to be okay. They've been best friends for the longest time, and they prank people and laugh together. Paul can't stand her insecurities because he thinks she's a wonderful person.**

 **Thea has the habit of forgetting her shoes. She never wears them around New Rome unless she absolutely has to, so when she's at Camp Half Blood, she tends to forget them often. She mostly wears Greek sandals, but she does have a pair of Ugg boots. She doesn't wear them often because they make her feet stink with sweat. When her feet can't breathe – they** _ **stink**_ **. She hates this about herself.**

 **Thea has a knack for making people feel better about themselves. She's the encourager and the cheerleading squad. If you're her friend, she will try to help you succeed.**

 **Marley and Thea are starting to develop a friendship – that's all. He's too old for her, roughly three years older than she is.**

 **Paul wasn't always taller than Belle. When they first met, Belle was around 4'6'', and Paul roughly 4'4''. They were short, and both ten at the time. Over the last four years, Paul has shot up like a weed. He is now 5'7'', which annoys Belle to no end. She hates being a whole seven inches shorter than her best friend.**

 **This chapter… did not want to be written. But it's done now. Next chapter, things start to speed up a bit, just so you know. I was travelling the last week, so my updates were nonexistent. Here one it, I hope that it makes up for the lack of updates, but I don't know if it will, since it's really just a bridge chapter. Once the Quest starts, you will get to see snippets of Camp, so never fear if your character did not go on the Quest. Besides, this is only the first part of Arabelle's adventures. They will most likely be included in the quests to come.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Revenge77: I will tell you right now that you are right – the bad guy is not Kronos. We shall see who it is, and all of your guesses are valid. The villains name will be revealed at the end of this story.**

 **CatDog: Thank you for getting it! I thought as I was writing it: "Wow, Zari's coming off as a real jerk, and that's not really her personality," but then I realized that, hey, it's from Belle's perspective. Belle's take on Zari is very different than other people's perceptions of her. So yeah, there was a little bit from Zari's perspective on Belle, but that's not all Zari's about. There's a lot more hidden underneath, and that's part of her character arc, which I hope is strong.**

 **Hermionico: I think the argument was due to both of them. They were both short tempered and easily irritated from separate experiences. Zari finds it easier to be cold and aloof towards Belle, and Belle finds it easier to ignore Zari for the most part (Belle sucks at ignoring people, just so you know. She once got really angry at Paul, and said she wasn't talking to him. The next hour she was talking to him again – see what I mean?). I will try to work on Zari's portrayal and character arc. There's not much to it yet, but there will be, trust me on this one. I appreciate that you spent the time to give me a long rant. I'll add it to Zari's canon backstory.**

 **AprilFlowers: Don't die! That'd be so depressing. Here, does this chapter help? Glad you like it enough for the cliffhanger to be effective.**

 **Please tell me what you think of this chapter, as well as any guesses, speculations, and comments on the characters,**

 **-PR**


	9. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

In Which The Quest Begins

 _Eight? Oh, gods, what an awful number of questers! Eight! How will Marley keep track of all of them? I don't like prophecies, for your information. I actually quite dislike them, seeing as they always lead to trouble. And that line about two of the questers retreating? It doesn't put my mind at ease, let me tell you!_

The morning came crisp and clean. There was a certain spring freshness in the air, even though it was still summer. Belle rolled over in her bed and buried her face in her pillow. She hadn't slept well at all. Her dreams had been fragmented visions of faces, weapons and mases of writhing serpents. Of course, rarely did a Hecate camper sleep well. They were, by nature, gifted with prophecy. So, Zari, Kendra and Belle rarely slept very well. But they made due with that they could. Chiron would sometimes concoct remedies that would knock them right out. But he had been distracted by the new girl, Coal. So Belle hadn't gotten a sleeping draught and was now rubbing her eyes and yawning from exhaustion. She was not in any shape to go on a quest if she was the daughter of magic. Of course she wouldn't be the daughter of magic. They would be Zari. It would always be Zari.

Belle pushed her fringe of red hair out of her eyes, glancing around the cabin. Kendra's bed was neatly made, but Zari's was a mess. The girl was all tangled up in her sheets, barely stirring. Belle figured that it had been a rough night for all of them. Figures, she thought to herself. With a quest about to start, and one of them being on it, no wonder they'd all had trouble sleeping. She got dressed in a pair of faded knee-length shorts (She did not have the leg length or the willowy figure to pull of daisy dukes – she was short and flat, no changing it) and a turquoise t-shirt. She probably shouldn't worn the camp orange, but she was feeling rather rebellious.

She combed her hair as best she could, and then tied it back in a braid. Her father used to do that for her, but after he got busy with his work, she had done it herself. It was muscle memory now. She attached her horn to her belt, pulled her dog tags over her head, and dropped them down the front of her shirt.

She moved out of the cabin as silently as possible. As much as she disliked Zari, she didn't want to wake her. She didn't want to have to put up with Zari for any more time than she would have to. Slipping from the cabin and closing the door quietly, she turned around and tilted her head up. The sun was shining down brilliantly across camp, illuminating the soft green grass underfoot, the warm, alternating red and green of the strawberry fields, and in the distance, the silver temple the gods had built at the end of the war with Gaea.

The temple was a tall spire made of pure silver so that it glowed in any light. Careful golden vines wove up the sides and around the solid oaken door. Stairs stood behind those doors, leading up to fourteen levels, one devoted to each major god (plus Hestia), and then one for all the gods' symbols and emblem. The temple was rarely visited by Campers, they preferred to make the burnt offering sacrifices at meals, but Belle went every once in a while. Starting the hike across the valley on the tree line of the forest, Belle studied the sleeping camp. Everything was so… peaceful. She wanted to take it in and remember it forever. She knew it wouldn't last. Come eight in the morning, the whole Camp would be bustling with activity.

Dried pine needles crunched under her bare feet. Her toes were a little chilly in the morning air, but there was no helping that. She stopped dead though when she was about to reach the temple. The door was ajar, meaning that someone had gone in there. Belle quickened her pace. She knew that the only other person who really went into the temple was Paris. She ducked inside, her toes tingling against the chilled marble floor. She started up the steps, they twisted around the inside of the tower with no rail, going up in a circle.

She reached the top of the first flight of stairs, and peeped inside. No one was in the chamber devoted to Dionysus. He had wanted easy access to his temple, and believed that the long climb discouraged people from going up to the very top of the tower. The room had a statue of Dionysus. It was made with a startling likeness to the camp director himself, except it lacked the rotund stomach. Wine purple hangings adorned the room, covering all the walls except for one. That wall wasn't really a wall, but a large open window that allowed sunlight to flow into the room and reflect onto a line of wine bottles set at the base of the statue. A brazier stood next to the stairs, the fire lit with purple flames, waiting for an offering to be dropped in. Sadly, Belle didn't have anything to offer, so she just kept climbing. Athena's steely grey chamber with the owl plate on the floor and her own personal statue in the corner was next, then Ares, draped in blood red, then Hephaestus's, which was home to a lot of mysterious clicking. The fire in the brazier burned white hot as if it was a forge, and the room itself was sweltering. Belle was glad to reach Aphrodite's. This part of the temple was adorned in frilly pink drapes. Aphrodite's statue stood in the very center, like she wanted everyone to gravitate towards her. Belle was about to hurry on when she heard the statue talk.

"Arabelle, why do run from this?" Belle slowly turned around and glared at the statue. But the statue wasn't there, instead there was a beautiful young woman with long brilliantly ginger hair that nearly reached her hips. She wore a stylish blue dress and leggings underneath. Her feet were bare. She looked like older version of Belle – a version of Belle who had grown into her button nose and her overly large chin. Her eyes were some shade between grey and violet though, and seemed to be shifting colors. And of course she was still white as heck.

If this was really what Belle was growing up to look like, she was going to stay white until the end of her days. Not tan, not Caucasian, _white._ She had achieved white girl status, and she'd never even ordered a pumpkin spice latte from Starbucks.

"Look, now is not a great time…. My Lady," Belle added as an afterthought. She knew this really was Aphrodite, and the goddess could incinerate her in an instant if she wanted. Aphrodite's lips thinned a little.

"It never is for you. You're always coming up with something else to do, so that love isn't a part of your life. At least, non-platonic love. You don't notice the way that your best friend watches you, and your other best friend watches him. You don't see the way that Jamie looks at Paris. You're observant, but love is one thing you can't see," Aphrodite murmured.

"Great pep talk, can I go now?" Belle motioned with her thumb to the stairs. Aphrodite glanced at the stairs in disapproval.

"I find it strange that they chose to put Artemis directly above me in this temple. Any young girl who doesn't want love can just run to her. Is that what you're going to do Arabelle? Are you going to run to Artemis for help? Are you really that scornful of loving someone romantically?" Aphrodite asked. It was Belle's turn for her lips to thin.

"My dad fell in love with my mom, and he got me dumped into his life over a fast food counter. I don't want that happening to me, especially since you gods seem notorious for dumping your children places and forgetting about them," _Except for Zari. Hecate hadn't forgotten about Zari._

"Your father's mistake is not yours," Aphrodite told her, her strangely colored eyes clouding. That was when Belle noticed something. This new picture of herself that Aphrodite was showing her – with the golden highlights in her ginger hair (probably from the sun), and the freckled face, and the actually not-flat chest – was missing one thing. Her heterochromic eye. Part of one of her minty green eyes was discolored so there was a chocolate brown chunk in the iris. She generally let that carry over when she changed her eyes to blue, she was very fond of her heterochromia, but Aphrodite seemed to have forgotten about it. As if reading Belle's mind, the tiny splotch of chocolate brown appeared in Aphrodite's left eye.

"Yeah, well his mistake led me to travelling around all over the place as a kid with not a lot of extra money. He's an archeologist, and he hasn't always had the best luck. He knows how to make a dollar stretch, but his mistake of falling in love with Hecate has carried over and affected my life, Aphrodite. So when you say that his mistake isn't mine, I could make the exact same mistake as he did. Fall in love with a god who doesn't really care. Or for that matter a demigod or a mortal who doesn't really care. So what's the point of it all? Why love at all when you're only going to get your heart broken? Why play the game if you know you're going to lose?" Belle demanded. By the time she finished, she was breathing hard. Aphrodite cocked her head to one side, studying the younger girl.

"You you'd run to Artemis, become a Huntress and live happily without love for all of your days?" She asked, "That is not your fate, Arabelle, and you know it. When that friend of yours died in the service of Artemis, you were offered a place amongst them. You didn't take that offer." Belle snorted.

"Who wants to be immortally twelve forever?" She countered. Aphrodite's eyes suddenly turned hard.

"You will find your love eventually Belle. You will find the person you need, but at first it might not be the person you want. His loyalty will surprise you in the end. I can guarantee that your love life is going to be very interesting. And very complicated," Belle's chin jutted out suddenly in defiance.

"I'll make my own path, thank you very much. I don't need someone telling me what is going to happen in my future. I am in control of my own actions," Belle said.

"But you are not in control of his actions, Arabelle. He will follow you into danger and through darkness, and he will stick by your side. Maybe you will see it someday," Aphrodite's form shimmered and she glanced over her shoulder at the rising sun, "I must go, but remember my words. They might be very important to you soon, Arabelle Arakataren." With that, Aphrodite vanished. Belle snorted.

"Good riddance," She muttered, and continued climbing.

When she reached the top, she found the person who had entered the temple and it wasn't Paris. Auden Remi was sitting cross-legged in front of Nemesis's floor tile. Her symbol – scales – were emblazoned on the tile, and it had been set into the marble. When the sun was just right, it would reflect off the mirrors on the walls, and illuminate the tile. The sunlight was currently on the eagle of Zeus. Behind the floor tile, a set of actual scales sat glittering in the early morning sunlight, innocent as could be. Auden turned his head in Belle's direction.

"Is that Paris or Belle?" He asked.

"Belle," Belle said, sitting down beside him and pulling her legs into the Lotus position.

"I thought so. But Paris and you have similar gaits. You both sort of… glide when you walk. Have you ever noticed that?" Auden questioned. Belle couldn't say that she had. She shook her head.

"No, I've never paid that close attention to it," She responded.

"Well you do. It's the way that your feet hit the ground when you walk that makes it a unique way of moving. I can't quite describe it, but when I hear you walking, I know it's you," Auden said, "I know who's coming on the quest." He suddenly blurted out.

"Really?" Belle demanded. Auden nodded.

He reached forward and trades a finger along the edge of Nemesis's floor tile, "My mother appeared to me in a dream last night. She told me that I would bring balance to this quest, and that I was one of the key… key knights. She called us all by chess piece names. You were the queen. Marley was the Bishop, a capable piece, but only has access to half the squares. She said he would be the one to _fianchetto._ Create a strong defense when the time was right, and the pieces were in place. I was a knight, jumping over any obstacle. Thea Grace was a rook, fierce, calculating and more useful in battle and jams than a bishop. Jamie was the king, the most important piece in play. Paris, Coal and… you're going dislike this one – Zari, are all pawns. Nemesis said to beware of _en passant._ Any idea what any of that means?" Belle bit her lip.

"Yeah, I do. My Dad and I used to play chess. If Nemesis is comparing this to a chess game, then we have to be careful how we move next," Belle said, twisting her wrist a little like she did when she was agitated. She had completely forgotten about the conversation she had just had with Aphrodite. She was too absorbed in this new comparison to a game of chess. Was whoever kidnapped Vera _playing_ with them? _Toying_ with them?

"So what does it mean?" Auden asked.

"It means that we need to be prepared to play strategy on this quest. The only way to win a chess game is through strategy. Only beginners bring their queen into play early. They keep her in reserve until the Bishops and the Knights are spent," Belle contemplated.

"I guess we're beginners then because Nemesis told me what role you would play in the quest. She also warned me that I should be wary of you," Auden said. He wasn't looking at her now, instead he was staring at the scales as if he could actually see them. His eyes had gone even more cloudy than normal.

"Why?" Belle asked, half offended and half curious.

"You worry too much, and that will bring you down. Someday, you will fall far, and you'll hit the ground hard. I'm supposed to balance you out, and make sure that doesn't happen. You're supposed to be a hero, but there's all the possibility that you'll turn into a villain." Belle's fidgeting hands stopped dead, and she looked at him sharply.

"Are you saying I'm going to turn evil or something?" She demanded.

"No. All Nemesis said was to be the knight and protect the queen, lest she make the queen's sacrifice. That's all. I don't know what that means, but I suppose I have to keep an eye on you now," Auden hinted at a smile.

"Good luck with that one, Blind Guy," Belle said. She leaned back on her hands, contemplating what Auden had just told her. There was all the possibility that she would turn into a villain when she fell. Auden was supposed to prevent her from falling, or help her to her feet when she hit the ground or something to make sure she didn't turn bad. Stupid gods with their hazy, misty prophecies.

"I'm better at keeping watch than you might think. I hear what people say about me, you know. That I have no business being a demigod. Paul told me to listen for it once, so I did. I heard what the Romans and the Greeks think of me," Auden looked down at his hands, and his fingers twitched.

"You have every right to be a demigod. You have as much right as I do. Just because you're blind doesn't mean that you can't be a hero. We're all heroes, and we're all fighting for what's right. Rescuing Vera is top priority, and it will take all of us to do it. Why else are there eight demigods going on this quest? And if you don't have any business on this quest, why are you specified in the Prophecy?" Belle demanded, her eyes alight. She could give pep talks and encourage people all day. If only she could do the same for herself. Auden lifted up his hands and paced them right in front of his face. He looked distraught that he couldn't see them. There was a small scar right at the base of his right hand, Belle noticed, in between the wrist bone and the base of the thumb. She'd never bothered to look before, but hands and arms had lots of little scars on them.

"I suppose," Auden said.

"Where did all the little scars come from?" Belle inquired, reaching for something to change the subject. Auden's face darkened a little bit, but he shrugged his shoulders.

"Someone should know. When I was five, the end of a semi-truck smashed into my dad's tiny car. I was in my car seat in the backseat. Our car went flying, end over end. I remember billowing grey smoke and landed with a crunched upside down. My seatbelt broke, and my head hit the ceiling after we landed. My window shatters, and glass rained all over my face and hands and arms. Then I blacked out. When I came to, I could see everything, but it was all fuzzy, with dark patches everywhere. I was still on the scene, with paramedics all around and an ambulance. And a gurney, with a body under a white sheet. Blood was soaking through the sheet, and I passed out again. When I came to again, I was in a hospital. That's what they told me because I couldn't see anything. Nothing at all. The doctors told me that I was never going to see again, pretty harsh news for a five year old kid. They waited six weeks with me in the hospital to tell me that my dad was dead. After that, I was property of the state of Michigan. I was in the foster system for maybe six years. I got some nice people, but none of them wanted to keep a blind kid. After my eleventh birthday, Nico and Will found me. Here, look," Auden reached up and pushed a little bit of his shaggy red hair away from his temples. There were scars along his temples and near his ears. Belle leaned forward a bit and noticed for the first time thin scarred lines at the corner of Auden's eyes. She had always dismissed those as some sort of premature laughter lines or something.

Auden's eyes were intensely brown, almost black, with a sort of misty sheen over them. His eyes flicked across Belle's face like he knew she was staring at him, "You remember it pretty well for being five when it happened."

"It's not something you forget. Besides," Auden tapped his temple and grinned, though his grin looked a little forced, "I have a kinesthetic memory, so I remember things that happen to me easily."

"Huh. You know, I was in a car accident once. In Egypt, on the way to a dig, the serpentine belt broke on our car and we lost power steering. Daddy couldn't get us out of the way of an oncoming car, and we had to swerve. We crashed into a building. I had a concussion and couldn't do anything for days without feeling sick. My dad broke his arm, his leg and his other foot, so couldn't go to the dig after all," Belle said, pushing some hair behind her ear.

"What'd you do?" Auden asked.

"Went home. It was B.L. – Before Lilah, that is – so that was when we still lived in Chicago. When I got better, Daddy had me go to the store. Imagine a little nine year old buying groceries and riding home on the train. I was quite a sight," This made Auden laugh.

"You were a grown up nine year old then," He said. Belle rolled her shoulders in a shrug.

"Not really. I'm not all that grown up now either. Sometimes I try harder than others, but I don't understand the rush to grow up and live an adult life. There's so much worry in an adult life that I don't know if I could handle it," Belle sighed.

"I want to grow up as fast as possible if only to get away from Nico and Will. They smother me. They try to make sure that someone's always there to watch my back, and it gets very old very fast. I'm not a little kid and I can handle myself in a battle thank you very much!" Auden's voice grew steadily louder, so Belle shushed him. It wasn't right to raise one's voice in the temple. She knew this from experience.

"Don't you still like to be a kid sometimes though?" Belle asked, stretching out her legs in front of her then folding them back into the Lotus Position. Auden's lips twitched upward in the hint of a smile, one of the first smiles that Belle had seen on him that seemed absolutely genuine. It was the type of smile that lit up his face, even though he wasn't showing any teeth as he smiled.

"Yeah. I like stories. Will used to tell me stories. He doesn't anymore, but he used to. I miss it sometimes. I always loved listening to them," Auden said. Belle stared at her hands and the bottoms of her bare feet as they stuck up from the way she was sitting.

"I'll tell you a story if you like," she suggested, "My father was big on stories. Instead of growing up on the Brothers' Grimm, he told me French, Russian and Norwegian fairytales and Egyptian legends."

"Alright, what story?" Auden questioned. Belle shrugged.

"The Buried Moon. It's my favorite," Belle reached up and started fiddling with the dog tags she wore around her neck. She cleared her throat and began to tell him the story. It started with a moon, hanging in the sky, and watching the swamp below her. Her light showed the way for many travelers who walked through the swamp. But every month, she had to renew herself, and on the night that she was gone from the sky, evil emerged from the swamp and attacked unwary travelers. Upon hearing this from the stars, the dismayed moon went down to earth wearing a cloak of pure night. None of her hair showed, so she didn't glow. The swamp was a wicked place with no moonlight. She wandered aimlessly for some time, before she came across a pool. But it was too late, she only saw the stars reflection in the pool as she was falling. The moon managed to grab a cross-shaped branch as she fell, and held on there, but vines wrapped around her wrists. As she struggled to get free, her hood of her cloak came down, revealing her brilliantly shining hair. The vines let go of her, and she swung to safety. Pulling the hood back up, she went on. Soon, she grew sad and tired, and sat down with her back against a rock to rest. The rock was actually a wicked troll, and he grabbed her and hid her under his hand. As he did so, the hood came off once more, and a lock of her hair was left outside of the hand. She screamed and yelled and tried to get free, but she couldn't. Now a traveler was coming through the swamp. He had been told by the crazy old fortune teller of his village to look for the cross, the tomb and the light. He stumbled around without the light of the moon, and peering through the darkness he saw the cross-shaped branch that the fortune teller had told him about. Soon after, he saw the troll-rock, and the glow of the moon's hair. He rescued the moon by slaying the troll. When he rescued her, she thanked him for rescuing her from her tomb. They went back to traveler's home, and fell in love. During the daytime, the moon would come down and visit with her beloved traveler, and during the night, she would rise up and light the way through the swamps, shining bigger and brighter than ever before, for she was happy. As Belle finished her story, Auden was giving her an odd look.

"I've never heard that story before," He mumbled. Belle snorted.

"Of course you haven't. You're an uncultured peasant if you haven't heard it though!" Belle exclaimed.

"So… I'm an uncultured peasant, am I?" Auden inquired innocently. Belle nodded.

"But of course," she said, "As a kid, I used to listen to British Audio books too." Belle added.

"That explains the accent," Auden muttered.

"Excuse me?" Belle found the remark rather cutting.

"I'm just saying when you get agitated, you sound very British. Sometimes you have lilts to the way you say things, and sound a little singsong," Auden explained, "So, British. I thought you were British when I first heard you talk!" Belle swatted at him.

"I do not have an accent!" She cried. Auden tossed his head back laughing maniacally as Belle punched him hard in the shoulder.

"Believe what you like, but you do. Ask anyone and they'll agree with me!" He crowed. Belle shifted her position to get better leverage to smack the back of his head.

"Paul's never said anything about it! Silena's never said anything about it! Neither of them! No one! No one but you thinks I have an accent!" She forgot about the whole raising your voice in the temple rule and yelled. Auden grabbed her wrist and pushed her away, using his weight as an advantage and pressing her smaller hands down. She simply darted in with her other hand, striking right below his ribs. He let out a coughing breath, but gripped her other wrist and twisted it. Now he really used his weight against her, shifting out of his cross-legged position and onto his knees. Belle had to say, for a blind guy he was pretty good at hand to hand combat. Except when kicks came into it – she was better. She let him push her hands down towards her, forcing her to bend over backwards, before unfolding her legs and rolling out of the way. Auden face planted onto the marble floor and didn't move for a minute.

"Oh my glory, are you okay?" Belle asked, suddenly worried. She crouched, and reached to roll her opponent over. Auden groaned, and moved quickly, sweeping his arm out and knocking her off her feet. Since she was crouching, she didn't have far to fall to the ground, and she caught herself on her hands, glaring at him. Auden was laughing.

"If I could see your face," Auden cracked up, putting on a high, British accented voice, " _Oh my glory, are you okay?_ " he teased. Belle stuck her tongue out at him.

"Not funny!" She reminded him.

"Neither are your blind jokes. And it was a little bit funny," Auden said, before he cracked up again.

"At least my blind jokes have class! And I haven't made that many yet, but there will definitely be more coming now," Belle snorted.

"And my pranks have class as well. Shall we make a game of it?" Auden asked, standing up and offering his hand to Belle. She glanced up at him innocently.

"Oh, I don't play games like that on days that end in Y because I know I'll win," she told him smugly. She laced her fingers with his and let him pull her up.

"Apparently, you've never played with me before. I don't lose either," Auden said. Belle let go of his hand and gave him an irritated look. Like he could beat her at her own game. She had practically invented the wars of teasing and pranks that happened at Camp Half Blood. That had been her and Paul. She paused as she remembered Paul – and then who was going on the quest as Auden had said.

 _Her, Auden, Thea, Marley, Jamie, Paris, Coal and Zari._

Paul wouldn't be there to watch her back. Her stomach clenched uncomfortably. He wouldn't be there to help her, and she wouldn't be there to help him. She and Paul had always been on the same team for Capture the Flag and the other Camp Activities. They'd always fought together. They were supposed to be pretty much best friends. In fact, Paul Jackson _was_ Belle's best male friend.

"Belle, are you alright?" Auden asked. Belle had no idea how he had known that she was disturbed. If she asked he would probably say something like "breathing patterns" or "speed of your heartbeat" or something else equally as ridiculous.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Why were you up here anyway?" Belle demanded, changing the subject. Auden rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I never come up here if I can help it. No offense to the gods, but this place is creepy with a capital C. But my dream last night… I figured I better go sit next to Nemesis's scales and think about it for a while. We're all chess pieces, but were not all pawns." Auden said. Belle looked at the scales for a long time.

"In Chess, white always moves first," she said.

.o0O0o.

"Are you ready?" Thea muttered to Marley out of the corner of her mouth. Marley snorted.

"What a lame question. Of course I'm ready. We need to get a move on so we can rescue Vera," He whispered back. His dream that he had had the night before, of his companions' lives being in danger hadn't deterred him. He was going to save her. He was going to save his sister!

"I know," Thea gave his arm a pat, "I'm sure she's alright for now, and we'll have enough time to save her."

"No. Every minute that we spend here is another minute that we could be spending getting closer to her. We have to go as soon as my companions are ready. Speaking of which, are you all packed?" Marley asked. Thea rolled her eyes.

"I've been packed for hours. I didn't go to sleep after you woke me up in the middle of the night," She told him.

"Oops, sorry," Marley said, not sounding particularly sorry. Thea didn't bother to slap him. She generally didn't show her anger physically. Jason and all of her martial arts trainers had taught her long ago that anger made one sloppy on the battle field. The more anger that shows through your physical posture and movement, the weaker and more of a target you become. Thea had learned not to swat people out of annoyance. It went against her principle. Not swatting them was pretty much second nature.

"Just go announce who's coming with you on your stupid quest. I can't believe the entire camp assembled to see this," Thea grumbled under her breath. She wore her hair in a ponytail, the sun glinting off the golden locks. Her harshly shifting kaleidoscope eyes darted about the campers. They were all assembled, waiting to hear which eight would go on the quest. Marley was one of course, but no one else knew that Thea was going as well.

Marley stepped forward, they were in the amphitheater which was generally used for weapons practice. The slowly rising seats were filled with anxious faces. Chiron, Marley, Thea, Calypso and Annabeth stood in the center of the dirt ring where the duels mainly went on (Except for the occasional good one that had the duelists running up and down the step-like amphitheater seats and fighting on different heights, trying to get leverage).

"Alright, you can announce now, Marley." Chiron said, giving Marley a nod. Marley nodded curtly back and raised his arms to get everyone's attention.

"Seven of you will join me on my quest. I will call your name, you will come forward, and then leave to pack. We leave in two hours, Argus will drive us into New York in the Camp Van. Thea Grace, Arabelle Arakataren, Auden Remi, James Heroston, Paris Arod, Coat Star and Zarina Babini. That's it," Marley took a step back and let his shoulders sag a little bit. Thea patted his back as the entire crowd erupted into "Why wasn't I chosen?"s and "Oh, I hope they have a good quest!"s and "Congrats!"s.

"That was good. Look, there's Belle leaving to pack," Thea said. Then she smiled slyly, "How come you used everyone else's full name accept for mine?" Marley's skin turned paler than it already was.

"You have a full name? It's not just Thea?" Marley demanded. Thea scrunched up her nose and gave him a little headshake.

"Yes, but that's for me to know and you to find out someday. It's on a need to know basis and you do not need to know," Thea relied.

"Anthea? Cynthia?" Marley guessed.

"Good tries, but no. I'm not telling you even if you do guess it correctly!" Thea snapped.

.o0O0o.

By the time they had all packed and were ready to go, all lined up to hop into the Camp Van, Belle was nervous. She glanced back at Half Blood Hill. She was going on her very first quest, leaving Paul and Silena. Paris stopped, and put her arm around Belle, resting her head against Belle's. Her short hair tickled Belle's cheek. Belle put her arm around Paris's waist.

"We'll see them soon," She said, looking back at the Hill. Belle nodded and wiped at her eyes. She was not going to cry when she was just leaving on a quest. Now that was just silly!

At the top of the Hill, almost all of Camp Half Blood stood, waving vigorously. Out in front was Paul, leaning against Thalia's Pine. He met Belle's eyes, and at that distance, she could tell that his eyes were watering. He was scared she wasn't coming back. Quests could be disastrous. Plus, his father was already away looking for Vera, and they hadn't had news from Percy for a day. But as Belle's eyes met Paul's he gave her a little nod.

It was like he was encouraging her to go, giving her that final shove.

Belle gave Paris a squeeze and then pulled free. She shouldered her purple backpack (Which contained all the essentials: a change of clothes, an extra jacket, a sleeping bag, a book to read, toiletries like a tooth brush and hair brush, a canteen of nectar, a baggie of ambrosia and some food, plus a pocket chess board – she was going to teach Auden how to play chess) and clambered into the van. She sat down in between Jamie and Paris and took her hunting horn in her hands, staring at it.

It was simple, plain, and cool to the touch almost always. Belle traced a finger across the surface of the horn. Paris shifted and wrapped her arms about Belle's shoulders, placing their heads together. Belle let out a long breath. Over the redhead's shoulders, Paris met Jamie's eyes. His golden-hazel eyes glinted in the light flashing through the trees outside. Her strange, multicolored eyes were hypnotizing, Jamie found himself staring.

Her eyes made his heart skip a beat whenever he looked at them. He shook himself.

Sure, he liked Paris. She was pretty. She was sweet. She was gentle. She was innocent and she never noticed when someone was interested in her. She would probably never notice.

She would probably never know.

Jamie found the sudden temptation to take her hand in his, but he didn't know how Paris would react. Instead, he settled himself in leaning his head back against the headrest and closing his eyes.

"Tell me when we're there," He said softly.

"I will," Paris replied. She glanced at his profile one last time. His eyes were closed, shutting out the light, and his hair was all messed up and sticking up at odd angles. He wasn't bad looking – Paris supposed – his features were sharp and angular, almost catlike. His nose was pointed and a little long, and his eyes slanted just the slightest bit. Below Paris, Belle sighed softly.

"We're coming back," Paris said firmly, "If Mr. Jackson can survive six quests, so can we!"*

 ***The six quests that are referred to here are seen in: The Lightning Thief, The Sea of Monsters, The Titan's Curse, The Battle of the Labyrinth, The Son of Neptune, and The Mark of Athena onward through The Blood of Olympus. I do not consider his fight for Manhattan a Quest.**

 **A couple of notes on the chapter:**

 **They are playing a chess game (Some terminology will be used, but for the most part it will be explained) – and in a chess game white always moves first. This is when white moves first.**

 **There is certain symbolism to which characters are chosen for which pieces. Keep in mind, eight pieces in not a full chess set, therefore in order to have a full chess set, other characters will be included.**

 **Belle has a British accent due to hearing so many British voices when she was little. This is because she listened to so many British audio books. It isn't a full British accent, and many people can't really pick up on it, but certain words, and sometimes the way she walks gives it away. Auden is able to pick up on it easily because of his heightened hearing.**

 **Auden has a kinesthetic memory – that's how he can remember the accident fairly clearly. He can remember what it was like to see, he knows colors and shapes and what people look like. He** _ **does not**_ **have a photographic memory. A photographic memory and kinesthetic memory are different. His kinesthetic memory is also how he keeps track of all the identifying traits of people – like the way they walk and the sound of their voices.**

 **Thea's name is short for something, however she doesn't like saying what it is. Therefore, very few people outside of her family know.**

 **Belle "glides" when she walks due to the gymnastics she took when she was little. Paris "glides" when she walks due to the ballet she did when she was little. Paris still does a little ballet, but she usually stays year round in the Camp for a reason that it to be revealed later. Any guesses?**

 **Belle refers to the time before Lilah as B.L. Sure Belle loves Lilah, but Lilah coming into her life changed how she lived drastically. It was hard for her at first, to get around the fact that Lilah was part of the family, but she got used to it, and now she has two half-sisters. Lilah is Taiwanese, and puts a pretty large emphasis on good grades and discipline for Belle and her two daughters (Though Ruth and Dawn aren't really old enough to go to school yet). Belle had a little bit of trouble getting around this, but she has grown to care for Lilah very much, and hates putting Lilah or her father in danger.**

 **The proper term for an eye like Belle's is heterochromia.**

 **Belle has a certain bitterness towards Zari which is expanded upon in this chapter. Even if they hadn't fought and yelled at each other when they had first met, and the whole Capture the Flag incident hadn't happened, Belle would still dislike Zari for one reason – Hecate dumped her and pretty much forgot about her, yet the goddess of magic did not forget Zarina Babini.**

 **The gods built a temple upon Percy and Annabeth's request for camp. It was supposed to be elaborate, for the Campers to visit daily, but they rarely go there. Everyone thinks it's creepy except for Paris (and on occasion Belle).**

 **Part of Thea's training as a martial artists was to be able to control her anger. Anger makes a fighter sloppy, as she has discovered many times, so Thea can be a little emotionless at times when people try to provoke her. Sure, she has emotions, but she's pretty good at hiding them. No one would ever know if she had a crush on them, or if she was cross with them, or if she disliked them. She's also learned to set her emotions aside and work as commanded to. Jason has taught her to complete the task given to her, no matter the cost. This is a little bit of Jason's** _ **Son of Jupiter-ness**_ **showing. He acts like Jupiter when it comes to fathering, and he can be a little strict. But he does love his children. Cecil is a little bit like Thea in this aspect, she too has learned to control her emotions to a certain extent.**

 **Belle's father never cared for stories like 'Snow White' and 'Cinderella' and though he told those to Belle once or twice, he was more commonly found telling her ancient myths and non-traditional fairytales like 'The Buried Moon' and 'The Twelve Huntsman'. The only vaguely common fairytale he ever cared for was 'The Twelve Dancing Princesses' because he finds it "Chillingly fascinating" (In his own words). Furthermore, Belle tells these non-traditional fairytales to her step-sisters, Ruth and Dawn. Lilah's favorite fairytale is Cinderella, but she tells the Chinese version of the fairytale, Yeh-Shen, instead of the traditional "Cinderella" version.**

 **Belle and her father used to play chess a lot when Belle was younger. Mr. Arakataren used it to teach logic and strategy to his daughter. Belle is fairly good at it, but in the years since she's come to Camp, she's gotten a little rusty.**

 **The Hunters offered Belle a place in their ranks. Belle turned them down, saying, "Maybe later. I'm not staying eternally twelve forever. Besides, who wants to doom themselves to a life without love?" Later, she half regretted the choice, but she still stands firm that she doesn't want to join the Hunters (Unless her heart was to be so broken that it could never mend).**

 **Belle can be a little blind to love, seeing as her father gave his love to Hecate, and then she broke his heart. It took a few years for Edward Arakataren to get back on his feet, and on his journey to getting back there, he made a few bad choices (Like drinking a little too much). Belle watched this as she grew up and is now determined not to make his poor choices. Her dad fully supports her in this, seeing as he doesn't want her to make the same mistake of falling for an immortal being.**

 **Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I've been traveling, which really makes it hard to update often. I should get back into a regular schedule eventually, once traveling is done. I have a few questions for my readers. Any guesses why Paris likes to stay year round in Camp? There is a reason, and it has to do with some backstory I've already covered for her. What's Thea's full name? Anyone? Anyone? Any predictions for the quest, or what's going to happen at Camp during the quest (Hint: It will involve Cecil, Julian, Paul, Silena and David McCarty, as well as a few others)? I'm still waiting for someone to make a guess at who the bad guy is as well. So, guesses, predictions, feedback on the characters, all is welcome.**

 **Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed,**

 **-PR**


	10. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

In Which Thea Sets Loose Killer Chickens

 _The Manhattan Zoo was not where we expected to end up at first, but I suppose that can't be helped. It was all Thea's fault really – Thea and her love of animals. She had to set loose the killer chickens. She just had too._

Jamie awoke to Paris shaking him. He was surprised that he had fallen asleep at all. The light outside the van hadn't changed, but the landscape had. They were now trundling down a city road, Argus looking about with his multiple eyes. Jamie rubbed at his own eyes and peered around. Belle was still between them, reading a map that Argus had handed back to her. Sure she was dyslexic, but she was giving reading the map her best shot.

"So… where are we going anyway?" Jamie asked around a yawn. Paris shot him a warning look, like this question had already been asked, but Marley had heard. He groaned.

"Does no one listen? We're going to saver Vera!" He exclaimed.

"That would be a lot easier if we actually knew where she was, bro. Chill," Jamie twisted around in his seat to look at the other questers. Behind him, Auden, Zari, and Coal were all sitting together, looking mildly confused. Thea was sitting in the very back of the van, passed out. Her shoulders twitched periodically and her lips moved like she was trying to say something but couldn't quite get it out.

Marley sat in the shotgun seat, fidgeting and looking out the window. He knew full well that he had no idea where he was going. He knew that Vera must be somewhere near the Realm of Amphiaraus, but he had no idea where that was.

"I don't need to chill, thank you. I'm perfectly levelheaded at the moment. I just need to think. If I were Amphiaraus, where would I be?" Marley muttered.

"Where does the myth say he resides?" Belle asked, almost under her breath, not looking up from the map. She traced her finger along a line that must've been a highway. Jamie wanted to reach over and point out that they were not on the highway she was tracing, but on 146th Avenue in the middle of New York. He chose not to though, for fear she might snap at him.

"I don't know. I don't think that there really is a myth about him. All Chiron said about Amphiaraus was that he was a hero of the war of the Seven Against Thebes who was swallowed up by the earth and transformed into an oracular daimon. That's all. Oh, and he was a favorite of both Zeus and Apollo, seeing as he was a seer. Zeus was the one who made him immortal once the earth swallowed him," Marley explained.

"So… we look under the earth, then, right?" Belle asked, still not taking her eyes off the map.

"It makes sense that we would, but where?" Paris questioned.

"I'm working on that," Marley growled through his teeth.

"What about the Underworld? Whenever we've scryed Vera, she's been somewhere dark and rocky, so… Underworld?" Belle suggested, looking up for the first time at Marley. Marley's eyes darted across her face, and the other campers in the van. Everyone was listening except for Thea. Typical. But what Marley noticed first off was that as soon as Belle said the Underworld, her shoulders tensed significantly and she shuddered a bit. Marley found this very interesting.

"Too obvious," He said, shaking his head. Belle visibly relaxed, the tenseness in her shoulders draining a bit.

"So what then?" It was Auden speaking this time, leaning forward so his chin almost rested on Paris's shoulder. Paris didn't even spare him a glance, she was too busy twirling the plain silver ring she wore on her right hand – Belle guessed it was some sort of promise ring or something. She had seen Paris doing that often lately, spinning her ring. She did it when she was nervous or afraid of something. Then, out the window, Belle saw why Paris was so agitated.

There was a man twirling flaming batons on the sidewalk for a small crowd to see. He stood just at the edge of the sidewalk, almost on the grass of Central Park. The fire swept dangerous low to the grass and then was pulled back up. The man tossed his flaming baton into the air, and it twirled into the sky, before coming back down. He was a simple street performer, nothing more, yet Paris's entire form was leaning away from the door.

"Can we drive any faster?" Paris asked in a small voice.

"Relax, he can't hurt you in here," Belle wrapped her arm around Paris's shoulders. But Paris didn't relax.

"Please?" She questioned, looking a little desperate. Coal snorted.

"It's just a little fire, what's that so bad about that?" She inquired of Paris. Paris glanced back at her, her multicolored eyes shielded. Her usually cheerful expression darkened.

"Do you like hanging around things you're afraid of?" She snapped, a little more forcefully that anyone in the van had been expecting. Argus signed something to Marley, who frowned. Apparently, he couldn't read sign language. Belle and Jamie worked together to translate – neither of them were complete experts. Belle had learned to help her translating for her dad. She had no idea why Jamie had learned – probably some deaf relative or something.

"He doesn't talk, instead he signs stuff on occasion. It's because of the eyes," Belle explained quickly, "They say he has an eye on his tongue but you're sensitive about that, aren't you Argus?" Argus nodded, then signed the same thing again.

"He wants to know why she's afraid of butter, no…" Jamie frowned.

"Fire. That means fire. How can you get those confused?" Belle demanded sharply. She made the motions for butter and then fire – butter being drawing motions across a flat hand, and fire being wiggling the fingers on both hands and drawing them in circles.

"Well he only could motion with one hand," Jamie said defensively.

"And is there any logical reason why Paris would be afraid of butter? Any reason at all?" Belle chuckled.

"I don't know, she could have been viciously buttered when she was a child!"

"Just drop it, alright?" Paris said, burying her head in her hands and giving it a shake, "I don't want to talk about it."

"Leave her be," Zari piped up, speaking for the first time. Auden, who was still resting with his head almost on Paris's shoulder, frowned.

"No one answered my question. _What do we do now?_ " He questions.

"We could try the Subway," Paris suggested, glad for a change of conversation. She wasn't about to discuss her fear of fire with everyone. It was a personal matter, but the idea of fire, of smoke closing in all around her and choking the life out of her, suffocating her, pushing the air from her lungs until the darkness closed in… Paris shuddered violently. She was going to be sick.

"Can we pull over, I don't feel well," She said, clutching her stomach.

"Probably all the pestering," Belle said lightly, but everyone could detect the underlying concern in her voice. She watched Paris self-consciously brush her small fringe of hair in front of her eyes. The way Paris cut her hair – short and spikey like a guy – was average for some women of the day and age. But she also left a strange, longer fringe of bangs. These bangs hung down over her left eye all the time, and when she was agitated, she would make sure those bangs were still hiding half of her face.

"Let's pull over. We can figure everything out, and Paris can calm her stomach," Marley said, and motioned for Argus to pull to the side of the road. Argus nodded once, and changed lanes. Surprisingly, they found a parking spot almost immediately. It was right next to Central Park. A little ways into the park, near a line of birch trees, a square, grey cement building marked as a bathroom. As soon as the van pulled to a stop, Paris was out and walking at a brisk pace towards the bathroom. Zari took Auden's hand and led him out of the van, followed by Coal, then Belle, then Jamie. Marley hopped out of the front seat, and clambered into the back. He moved to the very, very back of the van, where Thea was passed out, and prepared to give her a shake.

Now that he was close, he could hear that she was whispering words very rapidly in a mix of Greek and Latin. He hadn't realized she was actually _talking,_ he just thought her lips were moving in her dream. He paused and listened to the words.

He couldn't translate the Greek parts, and his Latin was pretty rusty, but he managed to get the gist of what she was saying. She was talking to someone, and by the way she was talking, she was in a hurry.

" _Come on, we have to go, if he finds us we will be dead…_ " Here Thea switched to Greek, so Marley couldn't understand her. After a minute, she switched back to Latin, " _… I wish I could go with you,_ " Thea was back to disjointed Greek. Her eyes were moving beneath her eyelids. Marley was torn between shaking her awake, and letting her sleep a little longer.

Then, Thea cried out loudly, Argus whirled around in the driver's seat, and Marley took action. He grabbed her shoulder and gave her a violent shake. Her kaleidoscope eyes flew open and she stared at Marley in horror.

"What is it?" She asked, immediately alert.

"Nothing. We've just stopped. Paris was feeling sick. That's all. I thought you'd want to be awake for the stop. What were you dreaming about?" Marley inquired. Her eyes were looking very golden-brown at that precise moment. Almost like honey, Marley decided. Thea was actually pretty, her straight blonde hair and sharp features. The slant of her eyes and the curve of her lips made her pretty. Marley had met Wendy though, and there was no way that Thea was as pretty as her older sister. Wendy had long, straight chocolate brown hair and clear blue eyes that stood out vividly against her Cherokee complexion. She never needed makeup to look pretty, a trait that all the Grace girls shared. Marley shook himself. He had no idea why he'd just been thinking about that.

"Thanks," Thea said.

"What were you dreaming about?" Marley asked, sitting down beside her. Thea's face darkened a little. In the dim lighting of the van, Marley could have sworn he saw her irises flash pretty close to pure gold.

"Nothing," She said darkly.

"Look, if we're quest mates, and we're depending on each other to have the other one's back, then you need to tell me stuff and not lie to me. I have to know that I can trust you, Grace. If you get in the way of me getting my sister back, I'll-" Marley started.

"Let me guess, whatever you do to me will involve death? Or lots of pain? Or suffering? How I love suffering!" Thea crowed. Marley gave a little cough.

"Yes. All of the above," He told her, "Now, I'll ask you again, what were you dreaming about?"

Thea glared at him. For a long moment, she remained silent, and Marley was afraid that he had offended her in some way or something. Then, slowly, Thea took in a breath. She leaned her head back against the headrest and closed her eyes. Marley nearly had a heart attack when he saw the slightest sparkle at the corner of her eye. She was going to cry, "I was dreaming about my sister, and what I did to ensure she became a Huntress. I had to lie to my parents, and I helped her escape. That's all you need to know,"

She got up and shuffled around his feet, heading for the exit. Marley was up in an instant, banging his head on the roof of the van and catching the younger girl's arm.

"Like I said, I need to be able to trust you. You should tell me what happened," Marley told her firmly. Thea's eyes flashed in indignation.

"I shouldn't tell you anything! You shouldn't go prying into my private affairs! If you really must know, it started with Belle! So ask the redhead!" Thea took a step closer to Marley for leverage, her eyes burning with anger and something Marley couldn't register. Sadness? Regret? He couldn't tell. She made a sharp motion with her hands that Marley barely had time to think about before his grip on her arm was broken and his fingers were throbbing. She had just hit him.

"I thought I could trust you. That's why I picked you. I needed someone to confide in," The dark haired boy spoke. Thea's face softened, and she hung her head.

"You _can_ trust me. I will do what it takes to help you save your sister. You have to remember, I did everything it took to help my sister follow her dream, and that led me to losing her. I know what it feels like to lose someone, and I want to help you avoid that," Thea murmured.

"But Wendy isn't dead, and Vera could be," Marley said, trying to stay angry with her. Thea's shoulders slumped.

"We have to accept that possibility, yes. There is always the chance that… that… that whoever has her is planning to kill her if… if she can't open the Gate to Amphiaraus' Realm." Thea replied. Marley took a shuddering breath.

"How do you know that? _Lucky guess?_ " He asked venomously.

"No. I may have lied about my dream a little bit," Thea confided, "I was in a dark room, and a voice was talking to Vera, giving her a warning, telling her… telling her that if she didn't unlock the Gate in a fortnight, she would be killed. We have approximately two weeks until Vera dies."

"So what are we waiting for? We need to find out where to go next!" Marley made to push past her towards the door of the van, but Thea put a hand on his chest and pushed him back.

"No, Marley. We don't tell the others. It'll only provide more pressure, and they're already stressed about the quest as is. You push for us to figure out what happens next, and if all else fails, you and I will find a way to Vera alone." Thea said. Marley slowly nodded. He could see her point. The questers were already stressed, seeing as this was the first quest in a long time. They didn't need a deadline to top it all.

They traipsed out of the van together. Jumping down, they joined the others standing in the grass. Belle and Coal were with Paris in the bathroom, trying to get her stomach to feel better. The boys stood stiffly waiting with Zari, who was biting her lip and looking around.

"What's over there?" She asked, her eyes falling on a black, wrought iron fence hidden behind a row of bushes.

"The Manhattan Zoo," Marley supplied immediately. He'd seen signage for it on the road, "Not much to it actually. Just some cages with some animals. They have a farmyard exhibit, which I don't understand."

"Maybe barnyard animals are a novelty to New Yorkers?" Jamie suggested.

"Maybe," Marley agreed.

"I'm going to go have a look at it," Thea suddenly said, her shoulders stiffening.

"What's up, Grace?" Marley demanded, frowning. This sudden change in behavior was a little suspicious. She had just told him they were on a time crunch, and she wanted to go on a school field trip? The detour was pointless.

"I want to make sure that the animals are being treated correctly and all. I hate zoos. They always abuse the poor animals in them," Thea explained rapidly. She turned and headed in the direction of the Manhattan Zoo without another word. Jamie rolled his eyes, and Auden sighed.

"We should stay together," Zari said worriedly.

"I won't be but a minute," Thea answered dismissively, waving her hand airily. She was already halfway across the grass, a determined look in her eye. Zari puffed out her cheeks and sighed.

"We really should stick together. Come on, Auden and I will go get her. Marley, Jamie, you stay here and wait for Paris. I really hope she's okay," Zari glanced worriedly at the bathroom. Coal had just come out, and was walking tiredly across the grass towards them. Zari grabbed Auden's arm, and they set off after Thea, who had just vaulted over the wrought iron fence and into the zoo.

"There is no way we can do that," Zari muttered – She was really thinking: _more accurately: There is no way Auden can do that._ She specifically wanted an ally in this. Auden would probably he game to say something a little harsher and pull Thea back to the van. Going to the zoo was not part of the plan, and it was taking up time. They didn't _have_ time. Marley was probably freaking out the longer they waited. Zari knew that he cared for his half-sister very much, and didn't want to see her hurt. The longer she stayed prisoner, the harder Marley would take it. She had watched him over the past few weeks, and his skin had grown paler than it normally was, and he had large bags under his eyes. He was incredibly worried for Vera.

"Do what?" Auden asked.

"Vault over the fence. We better find the entrance," Zari responded. They stepped onto a cement path running parallel with the fence, and started in the direction Zari thought the entrance might be. For a while, the only sound was the _thump-thump_ of their sneakers hitting the pavement, and the _click-clack_ of Auden's walking stick as he felt the ground in front of him.

"We don't have any money to pay to get in. Marley has all the cash," Auden pointed out. Zari grimaced.

"Not all of it. I'm smarter than that. I packed some of my own money. What happens if we get separated from Marley? We need to prepared," The Indian girl replied. Auden nodded in approval.

"I didn't take you for the sneaky sort," He informed her. Zari's nostrils flared.

"I'm _not_ the sneaky sort. Marley didn't give the order that he should have all the money, and it's my money, so I'm not going behind anyone's back. We've probably all packed some cash and not told the others," Zari replied, a touch defensively.

"Not me. I'm financially strapped," Auden mumbled, "I don't get allowance. Especially after that trick that I pulled, going with Paris to try to rescue the kidnapped Romans. Well, we failed, and here we are. Will and Nico were so angry with me, I don't even like remembering it."

"You've never told me about what happened, when everyone went to rescue the Romans," Zari spoke.

"Not much to tell," Auden grunted, "Granted, we rescued Jamie and Marley, but we failed when it came to rescuing Vera. And that's why we're on this quest in the first place." Zari bit her lip, choosing her next words very carefully. She always had to be careful when she chose her words, she never wanted to offend anyone. She couldn't stand losing friends, it made her heart hurt. When she was little, and still attending school, she had lost her best friend because she had said something wrong… she didn't like to recall that. It was painful, and it always made her want to cry. It was why Zari hated the idea of losing anyone. She worried that she was going to lose someone every day.

"That's not all of it, is it?" She asked.

 _Silence._

"I'm pretty sure that's all of it," Auden said after a drawn out moment. Zari fought the urge to push him harder. She didn't want to offend him, but she was the only one on the quest besides Coal and Thea who hadn't gone to rescue Marley, Jamie and Vera. She didn't know what had happened, but Thea had been told in full detail, and Coal probably knew the gist of it. But Kendra wouldn't talk about it – for one, the Hecate Counselor hadn't been there. Belle wouldn't talk about that day either, but that was because she hated Zari's guts.

Zari put down hard on her tongue. She was not going to think of Belle at the moment.

"There's the entrance, up ahead," Zari said, pointing, and forgetting Auden was blind.

"Stop pointing for a blind guy, it makes you look silly," Auden laughed.

"How did you kn-" Zari spluttered.

"Belle does the exact same thing," The redheaded boy was chuckling now, shaking his head. But Zari found it less than amusing. It was like the world was plotting against her to remind her Belle existed every second. For the most part, Zari could ignore the younger girl, but she swore the world was plotting sometimes. She reached up and fingered her necklace that she wore around her throat. It was a simple necklace really – a gift from Hecate herself. It was a round, silver disk, about the size and thickness of a nickel. It had a tiny latch on the side, signaling it was designed to be opened like a locket. Hecate had instructed Zari only to open it in dire need. Once used, it could not be used again. Zari had no idea what was inside, but it was probably some fantastic defensive spell or something.

The entrance was a normal zoo entrance, little boxed in, open windowed buildings with lines of silver rails stopping people from going in willy-nilly. Turnstiles were attached to the buildings, like the type that people walked through to get onto the Subway, waiting for people to walk through. There was a small line of kids, and a single mother trying to keep an eye on one.

Auden and Zari joined the back of the line.

As it turned out, they didn't need the money at all.

After the large family was all paid for, and right before they walked into the zoo, there was a loud _BANG!_ Auden's shoulders slumped.

"That means trouble. _Our_ kind of trouble," He said resignedly.

"Monsters. They probably found us by Coal's scent. Or all of our scents, we're outside of Camp barriers, and we must reek of demigod stink," Zari explained. Auden nodded.

"Let's go," He said, and together they sprinted for the entrance. The family had veered off to one side, and the mother was watching her children worriedly while also looking for the source of the sound. The woman behind the counter in the little booth was peering out her open window, also scanning her surroundings. She was dressed like a National Park Ranger, with a shiny gold badge and all – except for the hat. She was missing the wide-brimmed sunhat that most Park Rangers wore. She had an old, wrinkled face and alert brown eyes.

"I'm sorry, but we can't allow visitors into the zoo right now. Some animals could have escaped," The zookeeper-ranger lady said. Zari looked at Auden, expecting to exchange glances, but he wasn't looking at her. Then, Zari remembered he was blind. Honestly it was so easy to forget. He walked easily, like a normal person (Though he did have a walking stick), not afraid of falling. He never talked like Zari would expect a blind person to talk. He could even fight. It was just so hard sometimes to remember that he couldn't see her.

"We have to get in, our friend is in there," Auden told the woman in the booth. She frowned.

"Sorry, sir, but no can do. If that bang signaled that animals have escaped, no one else can enter. Safety precautions. I'm sure you understand," She glanced up and down Auden's frame, her eyes lingering on the walking stick. Her frown deepened, "Who brings a blind boy to the zoo anyway?" She muttered under her breath.

"We really have to get in, Ma'am," Zarina said, stepping forward. She held up her hands, making the woman's frown change to something like fear.

"What are you doing?" The woman in the booth asked. Zari didn't like doing this, but she had to. She snapped her fingers of both hands. The two resounding snaps were louder than they should have been, and the world seemed to ripple around Zari's hands. The woman's face went slack.

"You will let us in, now," Zari left it at that. The woman nodded slowly, punched a few buttons on her computer, and motioned for Zari and Auden to go ahead. Together, they walked through the turnstile and into the zoo.

It wasn't hard to find the source of the bang, it was just hard to get through the running, scrambling people. Apparently, people thought it was a terrorist attack or something, because just inside the zoo, they were scrambling around each other, trying to vault over the fences or hide in the gift shop. Zari grabbed Auden's arm and pulled him along so not to lose him in the fray of people. Across the main plaza of the zoo there stood a large sign with directions to the zoo's different exhibit. Near that sign stood Thea. She looked like she'd been dunked in water, because her hair was plastered to her face and her clothes were soaked. Her fists were clenched and she was fighting… was that a giant chicken?

Zari stopped dead.

The creature that Thea was fighting was half-rooster, half horse. The thing's forequarters were that of a large black horse, its coat shiny with sweat from the early summer sun. It had beady dark eyes and long, sharp white teeth in its maw. The hindquarters were a rooster, covered in red and gold feathers with a large, colorful tail plumage that was more reminiscent of a peacock than a rooster. There was no way to describe the animals other than strange. It looked oddly uneven, awkward even, and it tottered around like it was about to lose its balance at any second.

"What is that thing?" Zari breathed.

"No idea, I can't _see_ it," Auden spat a little bitterly.

"Sorry. Its half rooster, half horse," Zari supplied. Auden looked confused.

"A Hippalectryon? Aren't those supposed to be extinct?" He questioned.

"What's a hippo-whatever you said?" The girl asked. Auden bit his lip.

"Half rooster, half horse creatures that lived in Ancient Greece and preyed on children. It was designed by the gods to amuse the children, but it turned evil. Supposedly it was supposed to drive away evil by crowing at sunrise, but… you know. It failed and started eating the children. So the Greeks tried to hunt down every last one. Apparently they missed one..." Auden stated.

"Or two," Zari corrected. With a sinking feeling, she spotted another Hippalectryon across the plaza, advancing on a small family, a father, a mother, a little boy and baby, "Stay here!" She instructed Auden, not caring how bossy it came out. She raced across the plaza, leaping clean over a low bench dedicated to woman named Myrtle R. C. Promley and her husband for a large donation to the zoo (As Zari spotted on a plaque as she ran by). Behind Zari, she heard Auden shout something like,

"Solar power!"

Why was he thinking of renewable energy at a time like this? Zari couldn't put two and two together until she reached the family. She pulled her sword from her pocket – the sword was nothing special. In fact, she'd only gotten it recently. It had a mist form, unlike her old weapon. It was a battered old key ring with three keys and a large handgun charm on it. She pulled the bronze key off the ring (She had a brass key, a bronze key and silver key), and it morphed into her celestial bronze sword. No point pulling one of her guns on the Hippalectryon. She made a cut at the monster, but it abandoned harassing the family and turned to attack her, dodging her strike. Zari yelped and leaped backwards as the sharp, white horse teeth came flying at her, the monster's jaw working furiously.

"Where did these things come from?!" Zari shouted over her shoulder at Thea. She glanced back at the blonde. Big mistake. The Hippalectryon took advantage of her momentary lapse and head-butted her.

Zari stumbled away from creature, swinging her sword wildly. Maybe she should have gone with the gun. That might've been a little bit better, seeing as she was a better shot that most Demigods (non-children of Apollo, of course).

"The zoo! They were in a cage!" Thea replied.

"Well, then how did they get out?" Auden yelled. He was across the plaza at the fence, trying desperately to signal for the other questers.

"I sort of… let them out," Thea moaned, her voice barely audible over the clamor of the people.

"Why the _Hades_ would you do that?" Auden cried, smacking a mortal aside as they charged at him in panic.

"I don't know! I felt compelled to!" Thea screeched. Zari barely had time to register this information before there was a flash of brilliant light that blinded her, and she was thrown back across the plaza, landing hard against the bench dedicated to Myrtle R. C. Promley. Zari got the feeling that Mrs. Promley wouldn't approve of a demigod wrecking her bench.

"Just jump over the fence! It'll be easier!" A dazed Zari could hear Auden shouting to the other questers. They must've gotten to the fence. She blinked the dancing spots out of her eyes, trying to see again. What had happened? When her vision came back into focus, she saw two things that sickened her. The first was the fact that the Hippalectryon was advancing on the family again, making a sound between a whiney and a cluck. The other was the sight of Zari's arms. Her palms had gotten away unscathed, they had been clutching her sword tightly, and the backs of her hands weren't too badly burned, but her arms were covered in already-blistering burns from the blast of light. It was strange, because Zari didn't remember feeling any heat at all. Maybe it was so hot that she hadn't been able to feel it. She reached up in horror, feeling her face, but she seemed to have been able to shield that from the blast. Only her bare arms (Now without any arm hair, she noticed) were covered in the burns.

She'd lost her sword too – it was lying maybe ten meters away on the pavement, steaming.

"Zarina, don't move. Careful, those are third degree," Paris was suddenly there, looking a little green as she fished around in her backpack and pulled out a silver tin.

"The family," Zari cried, looking over Paris's shoulder at the Hippalectryon, still advancing on the family. It apparently had not gotten the memo there were now eight demigods running around in the plaza.

"BELLE! THERE!" Paris yelled over in the direction of the Gift Shop. Zari glanced there. Belle and Auden stood back to back, Auden with his sword, Belle with magic swirling around her fingers. Belle saw where Paris was motioning, said something to Auden, waited for him to nod, and then took off running. Zari's vision began to fade in an out as the pain started. Maybe it was the shock value that had stopped the burns from hurting at first, maybe adrenaline, but now they started to ache, like someone was rubbing sand paper over them.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Zari moaned as Paris rubbed some sort of white cream (that smelled a lot like coconut) all over her arms.

"This will help. Hold still," Paris instructed, "These are third degree burns," She repeated her analysis from earlier, "You have to be careful not to cause any permanent damage to your arms. Once this is all over, I'll get you as much ambrosia as we can spare," Despite Paris's warnings and advisories, Zari craned her neck to see the battle field. A third Hippalectryon had come out of nowhere. Marley and Coal stood shoulder to shoulder, dueling that one. Jamie had rushed to assist Thea with the first monster. Auden guarded the gift shop from the battle that was raging dangerously close to it. With a start, Zari realized how many of the zoo-goers were huddling inside the small building. Which left Belle, running to save the family. She had abandoned magic and pulled her katars free.

As she approached the monster, the Hippalectryon kicked her with its horse feet, sending her flailing backwards to the ground. Belle stabbed her katar up in a slashing motion. She missed. The front hoof of the Hippalectryon came crashing down towards Belle's head, but she rolled aside.

Zari had to hand it to her, Arabelle's movements were precise, calculated and quick. She didn't leave room for error except… Belle stumbled to one side as she clambered to her feet. She held her shoulder, where the hoof had connected, her face contorted in pain. Grimacing, she glared at the Hippalectryon. The monster gave its eerie whiney-cluck call, and lunged at her. She sidestepped, staggering a bit, and brought her katar down, nicking the creature's side. That didn't kill it though.

"Solar power…" Zari mused, glancing around, "Auden said something about solar power. It hit me with a blast of light. Paris, please, you have to help Belle,"

"What? No. I'm not a fighter, I'm a medic," Paris answered, pulling an ace bandage from her bag and beginning to wrap Zari's right arm.

"But they use solar power. Light! You can control that, can't you? Refract it, make it colorful, but control it none the less?" Zari insisted. That was when she caught Paris's gaze. She looked like she was going to be sick, binding up the burns. Another flash of solar light from Thea and Jamie's Hippalectryon set one of the planters in the plaza ablaze. Sirens started in the distance, heading nearer.

"I-" Paris started.

"Fire can't hurt you if it can never reach you," Zari pushed, "Bend all the light away from the Hippalectryon. Keep them from using it against the others!"

"You're injured-" Paris tried again.

"I'll be fine. Go, save the others," There was another blast of light. Zari didn't know if she was coming off as rude or not, but she didn't care. She had to save the people in the plaza, or at least help save them. Paris set her jaw, stood up and spread her hands. She was suddenly more aware of the colors around her. The blue of the sky, the light green of the unburnt trees, the golden of the sun. Paris took a deep breath. Her fear of fire, of burning, of smoke, kept intruding on her thoughts. She pushed that aside.

 _You can do this, Paris. Fears cannot control you,_ she told herself.

She took a deep breath.

She'd never bent light at this level before. She'd only done it when she needed a rainbow to Iris Message someone with, or when she wanted to make pretty colors on the ceiling or something. She rarely used her mother's gifts. Now she had to.

It was like she could feel the surge of heat rise up in her heart. Belle's Hippalectryon was about to make a blast light to burn her. As the monster pulled the sunlight to it and superheated it with its willpower, Paris concentrated. The light blasted out towards Belle, but it never reached her. Instead, Paris forced it upward, shining in multicolored light across the sky. The monster was confused by this, and Belle took her opportunity. Her blades practically glowing, she made two sharp slashes across the Hippalectryon's throat, causing it to explode into yellow powder. Triumphantly, Belle collapsed onto the ground, holding her shoulder. Paris felt the light in the plaza shifting, as Marley and Coal's Hippalectryon prepared a blast.

Now it was light Paris was seeing everything in slow motion. She could see the light as it was pulled to the Hippalectryon, and then pushed away from it in a millisecond. Paris barely had time to redirect the light skyward. Marley leaped forward, and in a flash of Celestial Bronze, the Hippalectryon was gone. That left only Thea's horse-chicken.

Paris turned to protect Thea and Jamie, only to see she was just a moment too late. The blast of light knocked Jamie and Thea from their feet, sending them flying across the plaza. They landed with a bone-jarring _crunch_ on the pavement. The Hippalectryon turned to make another blast of light, but Jamie leaped to his feet, looking only slightly bruised, and slammed the creature with the butt of his staff. The monster toppled over, all of the concentrated light streaming out in all directions from the sleeping corpse. Paris willed all the light to bend skyward, so it wouldn't hurt any of her companions… with a great effort, it did so.

Exhausted, Paris collapsed next to Zari.

The other questers grouped around them, nursing various wounds. Auden and Paris were the only ones who hadn't been too badly beat up. Marley was sporting a black eye, Coal a busted lip, Thea multiple scrapes across her cheeks, shoulders, and chest, and Jamie a broken toe. Belle sported a large, hoof-shaped bruise on her shoulder, practically immobilizing her right arm. And of course Zari had the burned arms.

"That was an adventure," Marley said, "They showed up quickly after we got out of Camp. They must be able to smell us,"

"Wrong. Hippalectryon are supposed to be extinct, except they apparently aren't. They were in a cage, but _someone_ let them out," Auden said, attempting to look pointedly at Thea and instead ending up looking pointedly at the tree she was standing next to.

"Hey, I felt weirdly compelled to. I don't understand it! I was standing in front of the cage, and it was like there was a voice in my head telling me to open it, alright? I wasn't me!" Thea hissed, her eyes flashing.

"I believe you, Thea, but voices in heads are never good signs, not for demigods," Marley said in a tone that screamed that he obviously didn't believe her, or trust her.

"I don't think that matters," Belle spoke through gritted teeth.

"You don't sound right. Are you alright, Arakataren?" Auden asked, frowning. Belle waved her hand dismissively (The one she could actually move without extreme pain). When she spoke, only Zari noticed how she had flicked her fingers towards her throat – a quick gesture to disguise her voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine," She sounded considerably more normal, "Just a little beat up, like the rest of us. We need to get going before-"

"FREEZE!" The yell got the questers attention. Police officers were flooding into the zoo, their guns raised. Guns might not have killed monsters, but they could certainly kill a demigod. None of the questers had any desire to be shot, now or ever. Slowly, they raised their hands into the air.

"That's them. The ones who let out the animals and caused so much trouble! They're terrorists!" The voice came from the father of the family that Zari had been trying so hard to protect, "They tried to kill us!" The crowd burst out into complaints and testimony against the questers. Only one man talked about giant chickens attacking. The police hear this and looked at each other, a little confused.

"We tried to save you!" Belle snarled, her nostrils flaring.

"Now is not the time for temper, Belle," Zari muttered out of the corner of her mouth. This only served to make Belle more annoyed. Eyes flashing, she clamped her mouth shut.

"We don't have time to be questioned by the police and detained until parents come to pick us up…" Thea said, her voice weak. Marley looked at her out of the corner of his eye. Her tattered shirt was stained with blood. Her hands shook. Thea couldn't believe she'd caused all of this. How could she have caused all of this? How could she have opened the cage and let the Hippalectryons out? She felt tears well in her eyes, which was unusual for her. She rarely cried. She'd learned to control that at a very young age.

"I'll make a distraction, then we run. We vault over the fence," Paris whispered.

"I _can't_ vault over the fence, remember?" Auden barely moved his lips as he talked.

"Then Auden, you, Belle, Jamie and Zari find another way out. They probably can't make the fence either," Marley said, "We meet back up at the Rockefeller Center,"

"I can make the fence!" Belle protested. Marley looked at her, how her right arm was held awkwardly lower than her left arm.

"I don't think you can. Just do as I say," Marley commanded. Belle's face darkened, but she didn't protest any further, "Any time now, Paris," Paris nodded, concentrated, and manipulated the light around them. She concentrated, forcing the sun to form a glowing, rainbow barrier between them and the police officers.

"What in the world…?" One of the police officers cried. Marley took a deep breath, and then shouted.

"Run!"

The questers scattered.

 **A couple of notes on the chapter:**

 **Thea learned not to cry at a young age. This was part of her whole "control your emotions" training in later years, however when she was young, she discovered that she hated crying.**

 **Paris can control and refract light because of her mother, Iris. She has a better handle on refracted light, and it takes less energy for her to control that, but she can bend and refract straight up sunlight.**

 **Hippalectryons were often associated with sunlight, goodness and laughter. They were monsters all the same, and eventually embraced their monster nature.**

 **Auden can't really vault over the fence because he can't see. He could stumble and hurt himself, at least, that is the concern. Belle can't vault over the fence because she doesn't have the use of one of her arms, due to severe bruising. Zari can't vault over the fence because of her burned arms, and the face it would hurt them. Jamie** _ **could**_ **vault over the fence, but his broken toe would make it slow going. Marley is gambling by putting the worst injured people together. In the next chapter, we will see how his gamble either paid off or failed.**

 **The reason that they couldn't easily defeat the Hippalectryons was because they weren't working as a team. They were simply fighting, not working as a proper team. It is important that they learn to work as a team though, or else they will fall apart whenever a monster attacks them.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Revenge77: I guess the bad guy will be a surprise then! I tried to pick someone who wasn't particularly obvious for the villain. Also, good guesses on Thea's name. Like Thea, I probably won't tell you if you get it right or not, but eventually Thea will state what it is (to much teasing, mind you).**

 **That's about all for this chapter. I would love to hear your comments and predictions, feedback on the character, etc. I'd also like to know if the battle had enough tension, or whether it was hard to track what exactly was going on. I am excited now, the story has begun to get going. I know the beginning was pretty slow, but now that it is getting going, it should get a lot better. We'll also get to hear from Camp soon.**

 **Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed,**

 **-PR**


	11. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

In Which Camp Half Blood Is Plagued with Dreams

 _I honestly don't know, and don't care, what is happening back at Camp. It's not like I have the time to really worry about it, seeing as I'm a little bit busy questing at the moment. I'm sure worry-worthy things are happening there, but let's be real, I don't have the brain space to do that right now, as much as my anxiety wants me to. I'm sure Camp is just Camp, same as it's always been… I miss Paul and Silena. Zari is definitely not a good substitute for them._

Mia Douglass was alone. She was alone in a bedroom, the bed pushed up against one corner covered in blue sheets, the closet put up against the opposite wall, and the windows frosted with ice. There was no door. Slowly, Mia turned around, scanning the room. She began to notice other things as her vision came into focus. Dark-wooded tables covered in silver click-clacking instruments. Velvet curtains framing the window. A soft carpet between her bare toes. The biting cold of the room.

Usually, Mia wasn't bothered by the cold.

It must be sub-zero temperatures in order for the cold to be affecting her at all. She breathed out, her breath formed a cloud of mist that hung in the air.

She wasn't alone, now that she looked. Someone else was in the room too.

He was ugly as ugly could be, his face looked like it had been smashed several times with a hammer. He had a long, dark beard, bushy eyebrows, and dark, beady eyes that poked out from under them. His arms were thickly muscled, but he lay there on the bed as if he was immobilized.

"So, here we are," The man said, lifting his head to look at Mia. Mia took a step back.

"I'm not-" She started to say, but the man spoke over her, his voice a deep rumble.

"I don't think that either of us thought we'd end up here, of all places. I never thought that you might win someday. Of course, you never were fighting for him, were you? You were fighting for yourself. Fighting for revenge," The man growled.

"I wasn't-" Mia tried again. Again, she was interrupted.

"So you lock me here. You contain me in this icy prison. You try to stop me from ever helping again. What is your plan for the others? Do you plan to lock them away too? Do you plan to take the throne?" Then, Mia spoke, but it was like she wasn't in control of her words. They flowed from her mouth, but she couldn't stop them.

"You think I want a bloody throne? No. I will not take it. I will let him take it instead. I will simply stand in the background, pulling at the strings, manipulating everyone into doing what I want. That is what I wanted all along. Can't you see the extent of my plans now? Perhaps now. You are blind even now to what happens. You would prefer to stay in your workshop, tinkering away, not caring about the world around you!" Mia spat. She tried to cover her mouth, but she was no longer in control of her body. She strode easily across the room and fisted the front of the man's ragged shirt, "I despise you and your kind. You believe in hope. I believe in power. That is the only truth of the world."

The world around Mia shattered and she sat bolt upright. Her skin was covered in a cold sweat, her breathing came in gasps. She was back in the Hermes Cabin, Cecil sleeping in a bunk across the room, emitting purring little snores.

Mia always slept in the Hermes Cabin since Camp Half Blood didn't have a Cabin to Khione. The reason behind this was that there was little to no snow in Greece, and Khione was rarely even worshipped or acknowledged as a goddess. And, the fact that she sided with Gaea in the last war had sort of cinched the deal. No cabin for Khione. Not that Mia entirely minded. As far as she knew, she was the only daughter of Khione. Of course, there was Julian, but he was a son of Aquilion, not Khione or even Boreas.

Mia was actually glad that Julian Ramírez-Arellano and she weren't siblings.

As much as she tried not to admit it to herself, for Julian and she were good friends, Mia had the biggest crush on him. He was one of those people who was attractive, charming and witty, but he knew it. Besides, his bone structure was simply gorgeous. That jawline was fabulous, and his hair was even more so. And his eyes…

Mia knew that she was blushing. She didn't like thinking about the fact she had the biggest crush on Julian. Julian and she were just friends, and that's what they would remain. She pushed some of her black hair away from her eyes and glanced around the room again. She knew the Hermes Cabin well. In all of the time that she had spent at Camp Half Blood, she had lived in the Hermes Cabin. It was warm, welcoming, comforting… as summer progressed it would fill up with laughing, talkative people, who always liked to steal your toothbrush.

She liked the children of Hermes. She liked that they had a sense of humor, which lightened up her world just a little bit.

Sliding out of bed, she retrieved her dagger, _Krύstallos_ , from her bedside table and strapped it to her waist. It was probably a rash decision to go out in the middle of the night, but Mia was feeling like she needed some air. Silently, she slipped from the Cabin.

The semicircle of original cabins had been expanded to include many of the minor gods and goddesses, so Mia had to slip carefully through them, darting from rock to rock so that she wouldn't leave footprints in the dust. She moved quickly, and soon her feet touched the soft grass of the fields beyond the cabin. She wouldn't leave any footprints here.

The strangest desire to head towards the beach lingered in her mind. She knew that if she was caught by the harpies, it would be a long run back to her cabin. It was risky, but she didn't care. The cool night air felt good on her face.

Without even hesitating, she trotted towards the sandy expanse next to the ocean.

Moonlight flickered through the rapidly moving clouds and the scene was eerily quiet. Usually, one could hear growls and hoots from the woods, or even crickets, but there wasn't a sound tonight. It was the first night that the questers were gone. The first night that they weren't there.

Mia wondered where they were, if they were okay, what they were doing. Were any of them hurt or worse? Had monsters already found them? There had been no Iris Message from them, but then again, they could have been busy. Still, worry churned in Mia's stomach all the same.

She came to the beach, jumped down from rock to rock and landed in the sand like a cat. She then silently cursed her stupidity, she would definitely leave tracks in the sand. She just crossed her fingers and hoped that they would be washed away with the tide. She headed for the water, but paused halfway down the slope of the beach, right where the dry sand turned to wet.

There was a large rock that sat at the edge of the ocean, a long rock jutting up from the sand just about at tide-level. The base of the rock was usually covered in water, but when the water went down, barnacles incrusted the stone. There was a lone figure leaning hunched against the rock, feet soaking in the waves that lapped against its face.

Clutching her dagger tightly in her fist, Mia crept forward. She hadn't anticipated some sort of monster out in the night, but if there was one, there was no point running. It would hear the sound of her feet slapping on the sand and chase her. There were very few monsters that Mia could outrun, and humanoid monsters happened to be the hardest. It had probably come from the forest or lake, an angry humanoid creature that had decided to explore the camp by night.

Mia decided to exterminate the problem.

Moving carefully over the sand, she steadied her breathing. She could have killed it with a single blast of ice from her fingers, but after her dream, she felt like she needed to attack it with her dagger. It felt more right somehow.

Sprinting, then leaping the last few steps, she drew _Krύstallos,_ preparing to drive it into the monsters back. In a second, the figure had turned, caught her wrists, and slammed her into the rock so hard it made her head spin. Taking a step back, the figure pushed the hood of his hoodie away from his shadowed face.

It was Cody Blaire.

Mia didn't know Cody Blaire well, but she knew that he was very bitter and took too many risks. She knew that he thought that, since his mother was the goddess of luck, he would always have good luck. Maybe that was why he was out in the middle of the night.

"Couldn't sleep?" He asked, taking her wrists again and helping her sit down. Her head was still spinning slightly, and she had to blink a couple of time for the stars and the moon to come into focus. She was lying in the sand now. How had she gotten there?

"No…" She said in a non-committal tone. Cody smirked.

"I guessed right!" He cried gleefully, rubbing the back of his neck. With a huff, he flopped down onto the sand next to her, stretching out on his back in a perfect X, "The stars are pretty tonight! People used to think that you could tell the future by the stars. I've never been sure if that's true, what do you think?" Cody turned his head so he was looking at Mia. Mia turned to look at him. He had shifted so they were lying shoulder to shoulder now. Cody's hair was slightly shaggy, a light sandy color, and his eyes were constantly dancing with color. He wasn't handsome like Julian, he had a more adorable, endearing look to him. For one thing, he had glasses that were hanging from a hemp cord around his neck. Mia had the sudden temptation to put them on.

The thing about Cody was that he hated his glasses, so he always wore contacts. He couldn't see well without them on, like now, and contacts made his vision a little fuzzy.

"I've never really thought about it, to be perfectly honest," Mia said. She reached over, rolling onto her side and picked up his glasses. Cody pulled a face.

"Please don't make me wear those. You're as bad as my step-mother!" Cody complained, "Come to think of it, her name is Maia… so it kind of fits. Mia… Maia… Mia… Maia…" Mia took this opportunity to shove the glasses awkwardly down his nose. Cody slapped her hands away, wrinkling his nose, "That wasn't very nice!" He said, but he didn't make an attempt to take the glasses off.

"So what woke you up?" Mia asked, curious. She shifted back to lying on her back, and clasped her hands on her abdomen. She felt Cody shrug beside her.

"I had a bad dream. I've been having them a lot lately. It was about my mother…" Cody shifted uncomfortably, "Luck isn't really on our side this time."

"What do you mean?" Mia asked.

"We're fighting a battle, and we don't have the luck to do it. Every time, crazy luck has gotten us out of bad situations, but this time… Something's up with my Mom."

"Tyche?" Mia asked.

"Yeah," Cody confirmed, "I've tried to talk to her lately, but she won't talk to me. I don't get it. This has never happened to me before. I'm supposed to be her chosen champion or something. But now she's silent."

"Do you think it has anything to do with the quest?" Mia asked, trying to sound casual. Again, she felt Cody shrug.

"Maybe, I don't know. I just… I don't want to lose any of my friends to that quest. I know those questers and if any of them die…" Cody's voice sounded a little weak and shaky. Mia didn't know what to do. She had talked to Cody before, but he had never sounded so vulnerable and insecure. With a jolt, she realized how dependent he was on the times he talked with his mother. No one else in Camp understood him. He was too luck driven. He took to many risks, believing that it would all work out. No one understood why he did it, either. No one understood how he could be lucky literally 24/7. And no one else could understand what he was going through when he didn't have contact with his mom. He had lost the one person who he understood him.

"Isn't there any way of contacting her?" Mia inquired.

"Believe me, if Tyche wanted to be contacted, she would answer. The only way to find her is to look for her, and I wouldn't know where to start," Cody shook his head, "Tyche is cutting herself off."

"What's about to happen?" Mia whispered.

"I have no idea, but whatever it is, if Lady Luck herself is ditching us, it can't be good." Cody murmured.

.o0O0o.

Jourdaine Montague was not in a good mood when she was called to the Big House the next day, walking shoulder to shoulder with none other than Paul Jackson. Jourdaine wasn't particularly fond of Paul – he was a little too arrogant for her tastes. He had been the first one to pick on her when she came to Camp. Well, it wasn't exactly picking on her. It was more like… gentle teasing that she had always interpreted as picking on her. She didn't understand why he had felt the necessity to tease her every chance he got.

But now he was silent, slouching, with his hands stuffed in his pockets and his tousled dark hair flopping over his forehead.

Silena Rodriguez trailed behind them, her face tight with worry. Jourdaine had never considered Silena the worrying type – the granddaughter of Ares was always incredibly rough-and-tumble and devil-may-care. She was always making sarcastic comments and snarky responses, as well as calling people "Sis" or "Bro". Jourdaine didn't know that worry was an emotion that any of the Rodriguez's could even _have._

But she'd looked concerned ever since Belle had left on the quest.

Now, Silena watched the back of Paul's head.

Jourdaine slowed her pace. It didn't take a genius to figure out what Silena was feeling towards Paul. She _liked_ him, and not in a platonic way.

As Paul sped up, Jourdaine took a breath. Normally, she would be incredibly shy about this type of thing. She really disliked public affection and flirting, but this was just sad. Silena Rodriguez, one of the best fighters and most entertaining people at Camp, didn't know how to handle flirting with a guy. It was fairly depressing, actually, Jourdaine decided.

Jourdaine was seventeen, and certainly not the expert on dating. She'd only been on one date before, and that had been an accident. It had been with an old friend, they'd gone to get coffee and then to see a movie. He, apparently, had thought it was a date. She had been too naïve to see it until after the fact. When she had figured it out, she had tried to run away as fast as possible, by calling her friend Ariana San Jose and getting someone to rescue her.

That had been four years ago, before the whole demigod mess had sucked her in.

Pushing some of her light blonde hair out of her eyes, she attempted to give Silena a warm smile. Silena didn't return the smile, so Jourdaine attempted a different tactic.

"So…" She started, but it was like the words had stuck in her throat. She couldn't force them out. Curse her shyness, it really was a pain sometimes.

"Are you talking to me? If you are, so what?" Silena crossed her arms, cocking an eyebrow skeptically. Jourdaine opened her mouth in an attempt to continue, but once again the words stuck in her throat. She finally took a breath, and forced them out all in a rush, without taking a breath.

"So you and Paul?" She questioned. Silena's eyes narrowed and her posture became tenser.

She reached into the air and pretended to pluck something free, "Oh look, I found your nose. It was in my business. Mind your own." Jourdaine had to admit – she was a little taken aback by the rudeness. She hadn't known that Silena could be so… rude.

"Look, it's a little obvious, if even I noticed it. Come on, Silena, why don't you just go talk to him and, you know… flirt?" Jourdaine questioned, trying to be as tactful as she could. Silena gave her a withering look.

"Because he… has someone else." That was all she said, before speeding up, and catching up with Paul. She stretched her arm over his shoulder and started talking to him, but Jourdaine knew she wasn't flirting. Jourdaine slouched a little. She was not good with romance. After all, her mother was the one goddess who had sworn off of romance.

Yes, her mother was Artemis.

Jourdaine had tried not to acknowledge the fact, but there was no denying it. She was the daughter of Artemis, and there was no denying it. She just tried not to admit one of the traits her mother had passed down to her – not knowing what to do with men.

 _Thanks for that, Mom_ , Jourdaine thought bitterly.

.o0O0o.

Jourdaine, Silena and Paul stood shoulder to shoulder in front of the adults with one addition. Julian. Julian was tall, with thinner shoulders, and a little bit of a lanky frame. He had toned muscles along his arms that were shown off by the fact he was wearing a ratty old Camp Half Blood t-shirt, and even though Jourdaine didn't have a crush on him, she had to admit that _he was attractive_.

Before them, Chiron, Annabeth, Percy (Who had gotten back in the early hours of the morning and looked exhausted), Calypso and Piper all stood in front of them (Well, Chiron was in his wheelchair for ease of space).

"Are you wondering why you're here?" Percy asked. He looked tired, his shaggy dark hair messy, huge bags around his eyes, and a two-day beard going on, making him look scruffy. There was also a white bandaged wrapped tightly around his arm, with splotched of blood on it. Paul fought the urge to give his dad a hug.

"No luck on McStrife?" Julian asked, crossing his arms. Percy shook his head.

"We've been going for days, and there's no trace of her. I'm exhausted, and we're no closer to finding her." Percy shook his head. Julian's face flickered with concern for a moment. Then, his usual bitter arrogance was back.

"Thanks for that complaint. I will file it under 'sucks to be you'," Julian snapped, "Can I go now?"

"NO!" Percy and Annabeth cried in unison, glaring at Julian. Julian glared right back, and made a rude gesture. Neither adult seemed phased by this, but Jourdaine looked a little surprised.

"Look," Calypso intercepted, before an argument could begin, "I know you don't want to be here, Julian, but there is a problem that we must face. The questers haven't contacted us, and our information sources tell us that they have… disappeared." Paul went white as a sheet and reached for Silena, who took his hand without really thinking.

"What sources, and what does this have to do with me?" Julian challenged. Percy massaged his temples like he had a headache.

"Central Park Nymphs contacted us earlier today. They said they saw Belle and Auden headed for the subway, Zari and Jamie headed in the opposite direction, and Marley and Thea were headed for the Rockefeller Center. And no one even saw Coal and Paris!" Percy sounded stressed. Paul's face went a little paler.

"What happened?" His voice was choked.

"No one knows. None of the Nymphs saw what happened before they scattered." Annabeth interjected.

"All anyone heard was gunshots," Chiron shook his head, "I was afraid this would happen. The first quest in many years and it goes wrong on the first day. For all we know, they're-"

"They're not dead!" Paul exclaimed suddenly, pulling his hand free from Silena's, "You liars! They're not dead. I would know. Silena would know. They can't be dead." Silena looked down at her hand like it had morphed into a venomous snake and bitten Paul. Jourdaine watched both Silena and Paul in confusion, while Julian leaned against the door, his brows furrowed as he glared at Chiron.

"Now you've made the kid go crazy," Julian reprimanded, but his tone had a dangerous edge in it. He watched the situation critically.

"I'm not a _kid!"_ Paul shot back, "I'm barely a year younger than you!" Julian snorted.

"In my book, you're a kid!" Julian rolled his eyes, "Besides, you freak out at the very idea of death!"

"I don't! The only reason I'm angry is because Belle is my best friend, and I'm not going to lose her on a stupid quest I wasn't even allowed to go on!" Paul vented. Silena reached out in a desperate attempt to calm Paul down, but the only adult who hadn't spoken yet reacted first.

Piper let a frustrated cry. "Enough!" Her Charmspeak worked wonders on the people in the room, everyone fell silent at once and looked at her in stunned silence. "We don't know if they're dead!" She said.

"You assumed that they were, though." Paul spat.

"Never assume. It makes–" Julian started to say but Piper held up one hand.

"Thank you, Julian, but we don't need to know that." She spoke.

"But… Chiron said for all we know they could be dead…" Paul protested. Chiron looked at his lap, his hands wrapped in his patchwork blanket. His face was sad, like he was watching a great tragedy play out before his eyes, and he could do nothing about it. His skin was unusually pale.

"Or worse. I don't know what we're dealing with, but whoever we're fighting, and whoever kidnapped Vera, they need her to do… something. Whether she's a bargaining chip, or she's destined to open Amphiaraus's Realm, we cannot say. But whatever we're dealing with… there are thing worse than death for our questers." Chiron shook his head sadly.

"Isn't there any way to find them?" Silena demanded.

"Not unless another quest to find these questers is issued and I doubt that," Annabeth said, "Quests are like birthmarks, you've had them ever since you were born, waiting for the right time to become reality. There is no physical mark, but there is a mark imposed on the person by the Fates. If necessary, the Fates will snip their yarn for the questers who are to die. Each and every one of you has a destiny preordained by the Fates," Her eyes lingered on Julian for a second, and he raised his chin a little, "Some less obvious than others. The paths that we follow may vary from what the Fates originally planned, but in the end, our destinies will come to collect us…"

"She means none of you are meant to go on a quest to rescue them." Percy translated.

"Oooh." All four of the teenagers in the room nodded, suddenly understanding. Annabeth huffed.

"Honestly, Seaweed Brain, do you even _read_?" She demanded, crossing her arms. Percy winked at her, but said nothing more. Instead he looked at Paul and Silena.

"Paul, Silena, we just thought you should know. You may go now. Jourdaine, Julian, you'll need to stay." Paul and Silena exchanged confused glances, but they trailed out of the Big House, Silena holding onto Paul's shirt. Jourdaine watched the movement. For anyone else, they would have just dismissed the fact, but now that Jourdaine had recognized what was going on with Silena… the motion seemed to be taken to an entirely new level. Jourdaine closed her eyes.

It was understandable that Silena was going through a rough time – her two best female friends had left on a quest, leaving her with no one to talk to but Paul, who she had a crush on, but who didn't return her feelings. Jourdaine hoped that _she_ would never be in that situation.

Julian nudged her with his elbow, "You still alive, Montague?" He grinned his crooked grin.

"Of course." She said, wrapping her arms tightly around herself. She looked at Percy, Annabeth, Piper, Calypso and Chiron. All five adults looked grave, like something was horridly wrong. Jourdaine glanced at Julian for reassurance, but his jaw was set, his profile rigid. It was getting ready to bolt from the spot if need be. The muscles along his shoulders had tensed. He too knew that something was up.

"Fourteen years ago, in October, I dreamed of this moment. Eight had left on a quest, and two people stood before me," Piper spoke, but her eyes were slightly glazed over and she was talking funny, almost in an old English fashion, "Those two people were you. I also dreamt of two more, Mia Douglass and Cody Blaire."

"I was taking a catnap on the porch swing, and I dreamed of this moment just earlier today when the same dream repeated for me." Calypso added, tucking some of her caramel colored hair behind her ear.

"So what does that mean?" Julian asked grumpily, crossing his arms.

"Something… is terribly amiss." Percy said.

 **A Couple of Notes on the Chapter:**

 **Mia, being the daughter of Khione, can withstand incredibly cold temperatures, even sub-zero temperatures, before she starts freezing to death. That means that in her, it must've been colder than the Arctic.**

 **Since snow was not common in Greece, and Khione wasn't really worshipped, a cabin was never built for her. After her involvement with the war with Gaea, it ruled out the possibility that she would get a cabin for a long time – until she redeemed herself at least.**

 **Cody Blaire has really, really, really bad vision. He has to wear glasses, but wearing glasses in a fight isn't a wise strategy move. He's broken more pairs of glasses than he can count while playing Capture the Flag. It's the only thing that he has super bad luck with.**

 **Cody Blaire was always incredibly lucky, which annoyed everyone in Camp Half Blood to no end. Besides, Cody is a boss when it comes to playing poker (and would be, even without his luck – he has a way of telling when people are lying).**

 **Cody has a bizarre, unexplained love of the beach. He always goes there in the middle of the night when he can sneak out of the Tyche Cabin. The head counselor, Armati Rousha, has taken to locking the cabin door at night so he can't get out, but Cody just climbs out the window. He has a problem with risk taking.**

 **Cody's step-mother never tells him "No". She lets him do pretty much whatever he wants, which makes him a little bit of a crazy teen at sometimes. He has the tendency to push until someone tells him "Stop" or "No" but people rarely do. It's gotten him in trouble several times.**

 **The idea of Jourdaine's mother being Artemis will be explored in more detail later in the story and be a bit of a plot point. Until then, just know that Artemis passed on the don't-deal-with-romance gene onto Jourdaine, just like Hephaestus passed on the not-good-with-living-things to Leo.**

 **Silena's crush has become slightly more obvious now that the questers are gone. She's trying to reach out to someone because she feels alone. That someone is Paul.**

 **Julian is almost always in a bad mood or foul temper.**

 **Oh man, this chapter was a pain to write. That's why I haven't been updating. All of this info needs to be established, but I really had a hard time writing this. If you were bored out of your minds reading this, I don't blame you. There's a lot of new concepts that have been introduced in this chapter though – it deals with Tyche AKA Lady Luck, the idea of Silena's crush on Paul, a dream Mia has, the ideas of Fate and even a large part about the questers.**

 **Hopefully, the next update will be considerably easier to write, especially since we're getting back to the action of the Quest. Anyone curious what happened to Belle and the others? Tune in next time, which will hopefully be soon.**

 **There will be some action that, in theory, will be a little easier to follow than the last chapter. I know that there are a lot of characters, and the story can feel scattered, but at least for the next chapter, we get to focus on pairs of characters for a little while each, so (once again, in theory) it won't be nearly as confusing. There will also be a little bit of Greek lore woven into the next few chapters, which I'm pretty excited about.**

 **So, please, like always, I urge you to share your theories, ideas, and other stuff about what's going to happen next. I did leave some clues about the next chapter in this one, and they're pretty obvious, so yeah. Hopefully, Camp interludes won't be as boring as this one.**

 **Anyway, until next time,**

 **PR**


	12. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

In Which the Team Splits Up

 _Running from our lives from cops who are just doing their jobs, and we are sort of unfairly using our demigod powers against them… not exactly a walk in the park. Well, we are in the park, except we are running in the park. So therefore, would it be a "run in the park"? I have no idea._

When Marley yelled "Run!" and all the demigods scattered like shattered glass, breaking off in all different directions, the only thought in Belle's head was, _Poor Argus._

He would have to wait for them to meet up again, and get back to the Manhattan Zoo, which in theory would have cops surrounding it for blocks, trying to calm people down. Unless Marley shouted for him to go back to Camp when they ran by. At that point, they'd be stranded in New York with no idea what to do, and only a vague way of how to find each other again.

This was not a very well thought through plan, in Belle's opinion.

But all the same, she grabbed one of Auden's hands, and Zari grabbed the other and they sprinted away from the brilliant wall of light. Belle could hear Jamie's uneven footsteps behind them as he limped along, panting like he was out of breath or in pain. She gave Auden and Zari a shove and turned around to help Jamie.

"I _hate_ broken toes," He told her through gritted teeth, motioning to his purple high tops. Belle shrugged.

"I've managed never to break my toes. I have broken my ankle, my wrist, and my arm, but no toes," She ducked under Jamie's arm and tried to get him to lean on her, so he didn't have to step on his broken toes. The only problem was that he was tall, and it was more like he was using her as a balance pole. She was too short to properly hold him up. Belle shifted slightly, and pain shot up her entire right arm. When the Hippalectryon had kicked her with its hoof, it had left a large purple bruise which had already formed. It had even managed to break the skin a little bit. When Belle had peeked under her shirt, and seen blood oozing from the edges of the bruise. She had felt sick, and not looked again. Once they met back up with Marley and the others and got access to ambrosia and nectar, she should be fine.

"STOP OR WE SHOOT!" One of the police officers shouted.

"Hurry!" Auden yelled at them. Jamie and Belle started moving, but running together was awkward. It was like a three-legged race, but one of the competitors was limping, and the other kept wincing and falling sideways. Needless to say, they were going at a considerably slower pace than Auden and Zari. That was when they heard the first shot fired. _Bang._

It was followed by another. And another. And another.

 _Bang. Bang. Bang._

Belle didn't have time to contemplate the fact they were shooting in a zoo full of people and animals (they most likely wanted to catch the "terrorists" who had started attacking the zoo). Instead, she and Jamie picked up speed and flat out ran after Auden and Zari, hoping the other two knew where they were going.

"Gods, give us a break!" Belle grumbled as another shot fired and landed in the lamppost nest to them, puncturing the metal. She was just thankful the police officers couldn't shoot accurately because of Paris's distraction or else all four of them would be bleeding out on the ground. There was a small alley in between the giraffe and zebra exhibits, and Zari took it, dragging a mildly confused Auden after her

 _Bang._

A bullet whizzed past Belle's head, and it would have hit her squarely in the skull, except at that moment, Jamie's legs gave out and he toppled, dragging Belle with him. They hit the concrete hard, Jamie managing to catch himself, Belle cracking her chin on the pavement. She squirmed out from under his arm and helped the boy to his feet. Auden and Zari waited for them at the alleyway, and as soon as they saw (More accurately, as soon as Zari saw) that Belle and Jamie were still alive, they started sprinting again.

"That was too close for comfort," Belle muttered through gritted teeth, wiping the blood off her chin with the back of her hand. She pushed Jamie forward, and he stumbled, but then regained his footing. Glancing back at the police, she knew that Paris's distraction was wearing off. They'd have to disappear, and _soon,_ "Welcome to Magic 101." Belle grumbled.

"What'd you say?" Jamie screamed and let out a yelp as the glass in the giraffe exhibit shattered, exploding outwards. He let out a hiss of pain as she jerked away from the flying shards of shrapnel.

"Now you see me…" Belle said through gritted teeth, concentrating as hard as she could, "Now you don't."

In an instant, the edges of the world grew fuzzy, like Jamie and Belle had been launched into a parallel dimension. They could see everything that was going on around them, and yet everything had a slightly pinkish tint to it. The smell of spices wafted into Jamie's nose and he coughed. Ahead of them, they could see Zari looking around in confusion. Auden had knelt down and touched the ground with the tips of his fingers, scanning the area with his unseeing eyes.

"Where are you? What did you do, Belle?" Zari questioned, the panic in her voice obvious. Then, something seemed to click in her head, and she nodded. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them, Belle knew that she could see them.

"Hurry!" Auden exclaimed as Belle and Jamie reached them. Belle reached out, hoping physical contact would work to extend the spell. She could feel that weight of the magic pushing against her energy as she became more exhausted by the second. Her fingers closed around Auden's arms, and Zari reached out and grabbed Jamie. The others vanished from the sight of the police officers.

"Come on, I think if we go this way, there's a service gate that will lead out!" Zari said. Only now did Belle notice the sharp stitch in her side and the way her breath came like gasps. She allowed Zari to tug them along.

"How do you know?" Belle asked coldly after she managed to regain her breath. They had to hurry, her energy was dwindling faster now.

"Basic zoo layout. Back home, there's a zoo with a service gate in the back, next to the reptile house." Zari informed Belle.

"So you're just guessing. Great. We're dead." Belle did her best to throw her hands up into the air while clutching Auden and Jamie's hands.

"Do you have any better ideas?" Zari countered.

"Okay, we're definitely dead," Belle snorted.

"Not… yet…" Jamie wheezed, "She might be right."

"Do all zoos share the same blueprint?" Auden asked, his eyebrows drawing together in confusion, "That can't be right. Every zoo decides their own layout."

"Yes, but there are certain animals that you should put their cages next to each other – like lions and zebras, for example. Or cheetahs and gazelles. It's common sense," Zari explained.

"And how does that help us?" Belle shot. She was starting to get dizzy now, her head spinning a little bit. Up ahead, they could see the reptile exhibit. It was a large, rocky stone building built to be camouflaged – large tufts of grass and scraggly juniper bushes protruded across the bulky building, while odd jutting rocks gave the building the appearance of a cliff. The only thing that tipped them off that it was a building at all were the Plexiglas swinging doors into the exhibit.

"Because it makes the most sense to put an emergency exit or service hatch in the reptile exhibit. Even if a reptile escapes, in the cold weather, it wouldn't survive very long. It would freeze." Zari narrated as they reached the door.

"Lizards are cold-blooded!" Belle argued.

The illusion making them invisible flickered for a moment, returned to life feebly, and then disappeared completely, returning their vision and sense of smell to normal. This meant they were now visible if anyone came around looking for them. Belle leaned against the stony outside wall of the reptile compound, trying to get her bearings.

"Are you okay? You don't sound too good," Auden told her.

"Sweet of you to worry, but I'm fine," Belle replied, wiping her chin again. It was still bleeding from the tumble she had taken on the pavement, and the bruise on her shoulder from the hoof wasn't helping things. Whenever she moved her arm, pain exploded everywhere and she was dizzy again. Now the dizziness of using too much magic had subsided, leaving only a lightheadedness behind. Belle took a moment to orient herself, and then she motioned to the door.

"What are we waiting for – let's go learn about lizards!"

.o0O0o.

Marley vaulted over the fence in a single bound, followed by Thea, who nearly slammed into him but recovered just in time, then Paris, then Coal. Sirens wailed in the distance, and the ringing bangs of gunshots cut through the shrill sound. The police were shooting. They stumbled down the path in the park, all the way down the cement sidewalk to where Argus waited by the van.

"Go! Back! To! Camp!" Marley gasped. He had a stitch in his side. Grabbing their packs off the ground, and slinging them over their shoulders, they continued to run. Each of them also had to drag an extra pack that their companions would usually carry. Marley could see the effort taking its toll on Coal, her thin shoulders sagged under the extra weight as she ran. Even Thea was struggling, and Marley reasoned, Thea had to be pretty strong. He had seen her fight. Heck, a year ago, in New Rome, he had seen her knock a guy across a room with her fist when playing War Games of the Field of Mars.

Yet she struggled with the extra weight.

There was no way they could get anywhere when they were so weighed down. As the four of them jaywalked across the street and then rounded a corner at the end of the block, Coal tripped over the curb, face-planting on the cement. Paris dropped both packs on the sidewalk and hurried to help Coal up.

"Oooow." Coal groaned, wiping vigorously at a scrape that now marred the side of her face, running all the way down her jaw.

"Did you get a concussion?" Thea asked.

"I didn't hit that hard. My chin just hurts, that's all," Coal grumbled, dropping her hands. She bent to pick up both packs again, but Marley shook his head.

"I'll take a third," He volunteered.

"We can't keep going like this. We have to find a place to store these things until we can meet back up with the others," Thea said, "And I think I know just the place." She was pointing a little ways down the street, to a dingy looking alley between a pizza place and a video game store.

"There?" Marley asked, a little incredulously. He didn't intend to sound so rude, it was just… there? Marley had stayed in some pretty rough places, he'd even trekked through a dump once while tracking monsters for Camp Jupiter. But for some reason, he couldn't wrap his head around leaving their packs – their supplies – in a dingy alley for anyone to steal. Thea turned to him, her eyes narrowed slightly.

"Any better ideas, oh-great-leader?" She asked, her tone dangerous. Marley pressed his lips together for a moment, thinking, and then he shook his head.

"Nope, all out of them. To the creepy alley that could have psychopaths in it. The fun we have on quests!" He grumbled.

"You," Coal said, grunting as she heaved her pack back over her shoulders, "Are stark raving mad, you know that?"

"Blame Thea," was all Marley said in reply. Thea shot him a quelling look. If looks could kill, Marley would most certainly be a splat pancake on the ground. As it was, he didn't pay the blonde any attention. Paris and Coal exchanged glances. This quest was definitely _not_ off to a good start. The sirens that had started when they exited the zoo had grown louder. A black and white police car whizzed past their alleyway hiding place on the way to the scene of the attack. Marley crossed his fingers that the others had gotten away too. By the time they had deposited their packs, hiding all eight of them under various pieces of garbage so they wouldn't be stolen, Coal was out of breath and panting. She rested her hands on her knees, leaning over, her eyes squeezed shut.

"Oh man. Oh man. Ooooooh man," Coal moaned, "I think I'm gonna be sick. Do demigods usually run around like crazy and almost get arrested by the police?" She wheezed. Paris, Thea and Marley looked at each other. Then, they all shrugged in unison and started talking at the same time.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Mainly monsters, actually."

"What else is new?"

Coal held up one hand, straightening up, "Never mind. I don't want to know."

"So how do we get to the Rockefeller Center?" Paris asked.

"It's about a mile from here, maybe a fifteen minute walk with this traffic, but we'll have to skirt the cops. I have no doubt we got caught on the zoo's security cameras. It won't be long before the police are looking at the system footage in order to see who we are. We need to move now. We go all the way down Fifth Avenue, and then turn right onto Rockefeller Plaza, and then we're there," Thea spoke as Marley opened his mouth to respond, "And really, Marley? The Rockefeller Center? You couldn't have thought of someplace less conspicuous, like Chipotle or Taco Time or something?" Marley threw up his hands, agitated.

"I was on a time crunch, and it was the first thing that popped into my head!" He cried defensively. Thea snorted.

"Was splitting up the first thing that popped into your head too, because that worked out _beautifully!"_ Her voice was dripping with sarcasm, waiting for Marley to leap at the chance to argue with her. But He didn't. Instead, he took a deep, calming breath and turned away from Thea will an effort. He focused on Coal instead, who was still bent double.

"Are you sure you're alright, Coal?" He asked, but in the next instant, Coal had toppled onto her knees, falling against a faded green dumpster behind her, her eyes rolling up into her head.

"She is definitely not alright!" Thea pointed out.

"Gee thanks, Captain Obvious." Marley spat, giving Thea the death glare. But Thea certainly didn't look alright either. Her entire countenance had changed. She was staring at Coal, her eyes wide and her skin like snow. One hand rested over her stomach, the other over her mouth. She squeezed her kaleidoscope eyes shut, shaking her head and muttering in Greek under her breath.

Paris rushed to Coal's side, lowering herself onto her knees. She lifted Coals chin gently, tilting her head up. Her lips thinned slightly.

"I knew it. Burns, bruises, concussion. Give me a minute, she'll be fine once I give her some ambrosia and medical attention." Paris was all business now. She bent over Coal, laying her on the bumpy, cracked cement of the alleyway. Reaching from her backpack, she pulled it free from its hiding place (under a large pile of banana peels and empty Coke cans). She wrinkled her nose, "Eugh!" But she stuffed her arm in the pack nonetheless and began fishing around until she pulled out a dark bag made with coarse material. She opened it and pulled out a small metal tin resembling an Altoid Tin.

"What's that?" Thea questioned.

"Arnica. Helps with bruising and burns." Paris replied, not looking away as she began to push up Coal's sleeves. Coal's wrists and up her arms were mottled with dark purple splotches, some even tinged yellow around the edges.

"Shouldn't we be doing something about the concussion first?" Thea questioned impatiently.

Sighing, Paris flipped open the lid of the tin, revealing white paste that looked like lotion and let out a long breath. Then, she set to work rubbing in the lotion-like cream into Coal's skin. Over the stench of the garbage in the alleyway, Marley and Thea could barely smell the arnica, but it didn't smell half bad. A little coconutty – with a bit of a zip too, "A concussion is a brain, where the brain is bruised. That is why I will give her arnica tablets when she wakes up and is able to drink water. I'll give her nectar in a minute, and if there's any chance we could visit a natural food market… I need Chinese Skullcap, St. John's Wort, Oats and Cayenne Pepper. Oh, and blueberries wouldn't hurt either. I can't move her until her head recovers slightly. The shock factor of being a demigod, the stress that she was put under with coming on this quest, the fact that she was just in her first battle with minimal proper training combined with her concussion was too much for her brain. She need recuperation. Marley, help me with her jacket."

As commanded, Marley knelt down and obediently lifted Coal's upper body up a little so that Paris could remove Coal's puffy, black down jacket. There was a bite in the air, and despite her being unconscious, Coal's shoulders shook as she shivered ever so slightly. Paris sighed again, this time in relief.

"She's not completely out of it. Good. But we really do need that Chinese Skullcap. It I can make a tincture out of it… that would help a great deal. It improves circulation or flow of blood and nutrients to the brain which eases the concussion and helps the person to recover faster. It is also a nerve relaxant and it helps to ease the headaches, and it nourishes the tissues of the nerves and prevents pain from intensifying. I can only give her so much ambrosia and nectar, and that won't just fix this quickly. Yes it will help, but brain damage wasn't exactly a problem that the gods had to deal with. I'll need time." Paris looked up at Marley and Thea, her brow creased with worry. In the distance, the sirens were still wailing, but they were muffled now. Shouts could also be heard, but just barely. Vaguely, Marley wondered why the police weren't establishing a perimeter.

That thought jolted him into action.

"Thea, we've got to get a natural market. We'll leave Paris here to tend to Coal." Thea and Paris's gazes both snapped to Marley faster than he could blink.

"Why?" Thea asked, her tone defiant.

"Because, the police should be setting up a perimeter right now in order to catch us, and we need to move fast. Is there any chance you can move her before we get the Chinese Skullcap?" Marley asked.

"I doubt it. I'll give her nectar now though so that can start mending the cells in her body. Give me a minute to find it," Paris was talking fast now, rummaging through her medical kit. She pulled out several different types of medicine and tossed them back in. Finally, she pulled a small flask out of her bag and uncorked it, "Tilt her head up, Marley." Paris instructed. Marley did as he was told, lifting Coal's torso up slightly and tilting her head into position. Carefully, Paris dribbled some amber liquid down Coal's throat. Coal coughed gently. She seemed to be sleeping now, but restlessly. On occasion she would moan and her forehead would crease.

"Perhaps we should have _led_ with the nectar?" Thea pointed out harshly.

"I don't think so. It doesn't work that way. Even nectar has its limits and drawbacks. You see, nectar immediately tries to remedy the minor wounds first to remove the pain before tackling the more severe wounds. It's like it you had one big opponent and five smaller, one-hit-kill opponents. You'd attack the smaller opponents first, so it would be easier to attack the bigger one. Does that make sense? I had to apply the arnica so the nectar does its job with the concussion." Paris turned back to Coal, checking her temperature, "I think Marley has the right idea. Go and get the Chinese Skullcap from the nearest health food store. If the cops come near here, I'll bend the light to make sure they can't see me and Coal. If we get arrested, I'll Iris Message Camp and ask for backup. Repeat after me: I need _Chinese Skullcap, St. John's Wort, Oats and Cayenne Pepper._ Got it?"

"Paris needs Chinese Skullcap, St. John's Wort, Oats and Cayenne Pepper." Thea repeated, her face contorting into a scowl, "Let's go, Marley."

"Is there a health food store nearby?" Marley hated how ignorant he had sounded, especially since he had suggested the idea. Thea's scowl deepened considerably.

"I think there might be a Whole Foods nearby. They might have Chinese Skullcap in their medicine section. What is Chinese Skullcap anyway?"

"It's a flower, most commonly with a purple coloration." Paris muttered. She was trying to put the cork back in the flask now with little success.

"Right. Let's go." Thea turned on her heel, snagging Marley's hoodie sleeve with her hand, and marched determinedly out of the alley. As soon as she was out of the alley, Marley got a good look at her face. She didn't look angry, she looked scared. She released him as soon as they reached the street however. It was now mostly abandoned, which forced them to hurry. If the police came around and saw two teenagers walking away from the scene of the zoo accident, _alone,_ dressed in black, they would definitely be suspicious. Marley and Thea darted along the street and ducked into the Game Store, both getting the same idea.

They had no idea where they were going and needed directions to the nearest health food store. Hopefully, that wasn't too far away.

A hippie-looking guy with a long blond ponytail and huge round glasses was stocking Mario Kart onto a wire bracket shelf as the two entered, but he turned around quickly when the door clicked open. Loud rock music blasted from the overhead speakers, drowning out the sounds of the outside. No one else was in the store. The employee wore a navy-and-white polo shirt and battered old hiking shorts. His feet were clad in bright green Keens.

"Dudes, what can I help you with today?" The guy said. His nametag, which was clipped onto his collar right below his chin, read, _Hi, I'm Chad._ He looked eighteen at most.

"We're not looking today, but we really need directions to the nearest health food store." Thea said, taking charge. Chad looked her up and down. Marley had to admit, Thea looked scary. She wasn't dressed in an orange Camp Half-Blood t-shirt. Instead, she wore a red tank-top covered by an old leather jacket and dark jeans. Her hair was pulled away from her face in a tight ponytail. She looked like she could kill anyone who came near her. She put her hands on her hips.

"Not a problem, dudes. The nearest one is just down this street, it's called Health Nuts. I go there all the time, dude. It's awesome. They have the best selection of vegan meals ever, bros." Chad spoke.

"Just down the street?" Thea questioned.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot. You do have to take a turn onto 2nd Avenue, but then it's right there," Chad shook his head around, causing his ponytail to swing wildly. He was actually _smiling_ at Thea. Marley had started to believe that only stupid people smiled at Thea like that. She could break them all in half, "So, uh, is he your boyfriend?" He nodded in Marley's direction. Marley stiffened, waiting for Thea's answer. He was sure that she was going to say no and then left hook the guy in the jaw. But she didn't. Instead, she stepped back and looped her arm through Marley's, resting her head on his shoulder.

"Yep. It's pretty serious, actually," She shifted her head so she was grinning up into Marley's face. She was giving him a ridiculously syrupy smile, an expression that Marley had no idea she was capable of making. She batted her eyelashes at him, "Isn't that right?"

Marley could feel his face beginning to turn red. He tried to hide the oncoming blush, "Yes, that's right." He said. Chad raised his eyebrows slightly.

"Bummer. You're a good looking lady. Lucky guy, aren't you, dude?" Chad grinned. Marley was painfully aware of the fact that Thea was digging her fingers into his arm, willing him to say the right thing.

"Yes. I am." He answered. Thea forced that sugary smile again.

"Great. Thanks. Come on, Marley." Thea grabbed Marley's hand again and roughly dragged him out of the game store without a second glance back.

"What's the rush?" Marley snorted, pulling his hand free from Thea's.

"Let's see, Coal has a concussion and we need to get Chinese Skullcap the help it heal. Also, I didn't like the way that guy was looking at me, even when we pretended." Thea shuddered, tossing her head.

"Why didn't you just punch him in the face? That's what you do to all the guys at Camp Jupiter, isn't it?" Marley pointed out. Thea gave him a sour look.

"That'd go over well. Get caught on the security tapes socking a guy in the eye. By the way, you're a rubbish actor." But Thea's mental defenses were going up, Marley could tell. Her shoulders had tensed ever so slightly, and her posture had become more closed off. There was more that Thea wasn't telling him. There seemed to be a whole _lot_ that Thea wasn't telling him. Marley bit his lip.

He couldn't help but think that he might have made the wrong choice when it came to choosing Thea Grace as a companion. He didn't like thinking it. He would rather be optimistic and believe that there was an answer for everything. But doubt had wormed its way into his brain and had made its home. It definitely wasn't leaving any time soon.

She was dangerous, she could handle herself. But she also posed a danger to the team. She was secretive. She knew things that Marley didn't and yet she refused to share them. Dread stirred in Marley's stomach. She wouldn't share the secrets, even if it meant taking them to her grave.

A cold wind picked up, blowing sharply between the buildings. Thea shivered, pulling her dark jacket closer around her frame. She glanced at Marley, who had stuffed his hands in her pockets.

"You're not great either." Marley argued.

"Yeah, but I can lie. You are _way_ to honest. It's plain in your face whenever you lie." Thea replied, looking at him out of the corner of her eye. They were walking down East 64th Street. A few cars meandered along, but for the most part it was abandoned. There were no people bustling on the streets, and no cops looking around. For some reason that made Marley more anxious. He had the sudden temptation to grab onto Thea's hand again. He doubted she would take that well. She'd probably hit him.

"I'm not that bad at it!" Marley countered.

" _Puh-_ lease. You're awful. But that's not a bad thing," Thea's step was unsteady, and she nearly fell when she tripped over an uneven piece of sidewalk. Marley reached to steady her, but she'd already regained her balance. She turned back to him, her expression draw, "Trust me on that, won't you?"

.o0O0o.

The Health Nuts store turned out to be a store with large glass windows, displaying all sorts of natural and healthy foods, and a bright green sign with leaves coming out of the top of the "H" in Health. When Thea and Marley ducked inside, the door dinged. The store wasn't larger than any other roadside store in New York. Multiple, tall shelves had been stuffed into the cramped space, making moving very difficult to maneuver. Marley found his hand in Thea's again as she dodged around pedestrians admiring the wide selection of health foods in the store.

She dragged him along to the back of the store, which was labelled as the medicinal and homeopathic section. Immediately, Thea started to scan down the shelves. Then she took a step back, pressed the heels of her palms into her eyes and shook her head.

"You do it. I can't." She said.

"Dyslexia?" Marley asked. He'd had his own battle with dyslexia. It certainly wasn't fun.

"Yeah. Really, really bad dyslexia. I can barely read things that aren't in Greek, unless I read upside down." Thea said. Interested, Marley picked up a bottle of pills turned it upside down and handed it to Thea. Thea stared at the label for a moment.

"Vitamin A Supplement." Thea stumbled over the words, her eyes narrowing slightly. She shoved the bottle back at Marley.

"Just find what we're looking for, would you?" She snapped, her face beginning to color. Marley had no idea why. Both he and his sister had battled with dyslexia. Vera had a very minor case of it, occasionally mixing up her Ws and Ms, and her Bs and Ds. Marley had a slightly more severe version, but he could deal with it alright. He could still read, though he liked to listen to things read more than reading himself. Thea seemed to have an incredibly severe version, judging by the look on her face. She looked ashamed, vulnerable and angry. Marley turned away to give her a minute to compose herself, and started scanning the shelves.

"You don't have to be afraid of it, you know." Marley said, not looking back. He heard Thea sigh.

"Afraid of what?" She demanded.

"Dyslexia. It's manageable. I have it and I can read." He pointed out. Thea's snort was sharp and irritated.

"Yeah, but you probably don't have it as bad as me." Thea glared at the back of his head. His dark hair was a mess from their fight with the killer rooster-chickens and their subsequent run from the zoo. Tufts stuck up at off angles, giving Marley a scruffy look. When Thea next spoke, her voice was just slightly uneven, enough to tip Marley off not to look around. She hadn't regained her composure yet. _Give her more time,_ he thought, _she'll be right as rain in a minute._ He scanned the shelves near the floor, "I don't think you get it. When I was little I had trouble communicating ideas that I wanted. I can't write rhymes very well, and sometimes I don't get jokes and idioms. But the reading is the worst. Do you have any idea what it's like to go to a San Fran school? I tried reading upside down, but the teachers wouldn't allow it. The kids teased me because of it. And I still can't do it."

Well that explained why Thea was so tough. She probably got tired of the teasing and bullying and taught herself to be a tough, tomboyish girl.

"All of the Graces have it pretty bad. Jett is the only who has a mild case, but he hates reading anyway, so it's not like that's much of a help to him," Thea huffed, "That's not important now. Have you found the Chinese Skullcap yet?"

.o0O0o.

In the darkness of the reptile house, Auden was the only one who was not affected. The sudden, dimmed green lights after the bright world outside, and the battle caused Jamie, Belle and Zari to stumble round for a minute as their eyes adjusted to the lowlight.

"Pleasant, isn't it?" Belle asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm, peering around at the glass displays after her eyes had adjusted. Lizards and snakes sat in their habitats, not doing much. Some slept, while others slithered around their water sources.

"I don't like this place, too many creepy crawlies. Let's hurry out of here." Zari said. She had never cared for the reptile houses in zoos. She had never cared for reptiles, period. She didn't hate them, and they didn't scare her, they just made her slightly uncomfortable.

"Whose idea was it to come here again?" Belle's voice was so venomous that Auden and Jamie were pretty sure she made the snake in the tank behind her jealous.

"I don't see why you all find this creepy," Auden joked. Belle shot him a sour look.

"I'm giving you a dirty look, Auden." She told him when she got no response. Auden cracked a smile, barely visible in the semi-darkness.

"I'd be offended, but you do that all the time!" the redheaded boy grinned. Belle let out a sharp breath, and peeled her eyes away from the nearest reptile cage to look at him. Zari and Jamie meanwhile, limped along, barely looking at the enclosures on either side of them. Occasionally, Zari looked over. She saw several interesting looking lizards, and a particularly dangerous looking snake with a diamond matter traced along its back. The snake flicked its tail at Zari, as if saying, " _What are you lookin' at_?"

Zari hurried up, moving to the back of the reptile house.

"There should be an emergency exit around here. They're usually disguised in the wall so curious kids won't come up and open them." Zari started scanning over the wall for a discrepancy in the stone. In the dim lighting, it was hard to see anything, much less the outline of a door.

There was a tap. Then another tap.

Auden whirled around, "Have the cops caught up with us?" He questioned.

"I doubt that. We have maybe another three minutes, but I can seal the door out of here and give us ten. The only problem is that then, we're stuck her until Zari finds that door." Belle explained.

"I thought that it would be right in back. Jamie, help me search the walls." Zari replied, running her fingers across the stone.

There was another sharp tap.

"Seal the door." Jamie and Auden said in unison.

"Are you sure you've got it?" Zari turned around. She didn't sound concerned. In fact, she sounded more indifferent than concerned, but it was enough to irritate Belle.

"I'll be fine." Belle marched deliberately to the end of the reptile house, where they had come in. The windows were heavily tinted on the inside, letting very little light in. The shadows shrouded the area near the entrance, so the only thing visible of Belle was her form, standing against the door, her hands laid on the glass.

"Seal, doors! Lock!" Belle chanted under her breath. There was an awful squelching sound, and the glass around Belle's fingers glowed brilliantly for a few moments, and then it died away, leaving black spots all over Belle's vision. She wiped her chin again, smearing more blood on her arm. She would really need a shower, or a dip in a river or something to clean up after this.

But with the door firmly sealed, the tapping only grew louder.

 _Tap, tap, tap._

 _Tap, tap, tap._

 _Tap, tap, tap._

" _Di Immortales,_ what is that?" Auden moved over to stand closer to Belle, rubbing his temple. The sound was coming from that direction, "It's like someone is drilling into my brain!" The tapping picked up speed, and Auden whirled around.

"What?" Belled questioned.

"It's coming from over there!" Auden pointed. Belle clamped her hand over her mouth to keep from laughing. Maybe it was the stress of the day that drove her to think what Auden did was hilarious, or maybe she was so tired and in so much pain that any small thing cheered her up a ridiculously large amount.

"Remi, that's a wall." She spoke through her fingers, her voice muffled. Auden rolled his dark eyes.

"It doesn't change the fact that-" The tapping came again, even more insistently. Auden adjusted where he was pointing to one of the enclosures, where two, thick snakes lay curled on the ground, ignoring each other. One snake was tapping the barbed end of his tail against the glass. Belle frowned. Snakes didn't _have_ barbed tails. The closest thing a snake got to a barbed tail was a rattle on the end, and that was only for rattlesnakes.

Slowly and carefully, Belle moved towards the cage, Auden trailing behind her. Squinting, Belle tried to make out the markings on the snakes' backs. Maybe it was some tropical snake that she didn't know of.

"What does the sign say?" Auden whispered in her ear. Belle scanned around the glass tank, looking for a plaque that indicated what type of serpent was inside.

"There isn't a sign." She whispered back.

 _Tap. Tap. Tap._

Belle frowned. She moved closer to the glass. This couldn't be right. Something was definitely amiss. Her internal danger sense was going haywire, all the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. She pushed from of her red hair out of her eyes. Everything seemed to have gone quiet. She could only hear faint murmurs coming from Jamie and Zari as they searched the door.

"Belle, get away from there." Auden made a grab for her arm, but Belle sidestepped him easily. Her shoulder throbbed, but the pain seemed numb. Her curiosity peaked. She reached forward and placed a hand on the glass, using her good arm to do so.

Faster than she could blink, the snake tapping the glass had lashed out with its tail, slamming it against the glass where her hand rested. The vibrations across the clear panel caused cracks to appear at the corners and around where the tail had struck. Belle was sorry to admit that she froze, her muscles contracting in fear. She couldn't even pull her hand away from the glass.

"Belle!" Auden looped his arms around her waist, pulling her away from the glass as hard as he could. The other snake seemed to wake up and see that its friend had caused cracks to appear in the glass. It began to look mildly interested, its own barbed tail flicking back and forth hypnotically. The snake struck the glass again, and it shattered, exploding outwards.

Auden reacted in a split second, pulling Belle close to his chest and then dropping down to his knees. He couldn't see the flying shards of glass, but he could certainly feel them as he cut into his skin. Zari screamed and Jamie yelled something in Greek, probably not a very pleasant thing to say. The last of the glass clattered to the floor, its tinkling the only sound in the reptile house. Then, Auden heard a long hiss, followed by another.

"I blame you for this." He moaned into Belle's ear. She shifted her head slightly so she could peer over his shoulder. Both of the snakes were uncoiling, hissing and spitting, and slithering out of their enclosure.

Auden straightened up, releasing Belle. His shirt was shredded in several places, and all of his exposed skin, the back of his neck and arms, were covered in tiny little cuts. The skin around the cuts was already starting to swell out slightly, making it look like a very angry, red rash across most of his skin. His face was fairly free of cuts, it had been buried in Belle's shoulder.

Belle righted herself and turned towards the snakes, her head spinning.

But they weren't snakes anymore. At least, one of them wasn't. Her lower half was still a snake, long with a sharp barb at the end of the tail. Her scales were startlingly green, with lighter green Xs marking her underbelly. The upper half of the snake was now a green-skinned woman clothed in a tightly bound linen wrap, with wavy black hair that cascaded down her back to her waist. Her eyes were still snake eyes – brightly amber, with a large black pupil in the center. Her cheekbones were high and regal, sharp enough to cut glass, and her chin was jutting. The only thing that marred her almost ethereal beauty was her flattened nose and too-large-to-be-human mouth. The tips of fangs protruded from her lips. In her fisted hand she clutched a bident, a two-pronged trident with sharp edges.

The other snake was still a snake by body, but it had grown legs akin to a Komodo dragon's. It was green like the other one, with the strange lighter green pattern across its underbelly. It hissed and spat at Belle and Auden as they scrabbled backwards, away from advancing enemies.

"You might want to hurry up with that door." Auden said.

"I'm trying, but I can't find it. The lights back here keep flickering and it's hard to see! Maybe its back this way."

" _It issssss good to be free!"_ The half-snake, half-woman hissed, her forked tongue flicking between her teeth. She spread her overly large mouth in a horrid smile, staring down at the other snake. Wings were now sprouting form the other snakes back, huge green, bat-like wings, extending and taking up more and more space.

"It's a dragon," Belle whimpered. Her voice shook, "Of course it's a dragon. It just had to be a freaking _dragon!_ "

"You can say that again!" Auden yelped as the draconic creature growled.

" _Careful, my love, do not tear them to piecesssss completely. I ssssssstill want information before I kill them. Now then, Python, kill our gracious demigod guests._ "

 **A couple of notes on the chapter:**

 **The part at the beginning of the chapter, where Zari, Belle, Auden and Jamie all turn invisible through Belle's magic is a reference to Belle's favorite color. I imagine since Belle is essentially altering the Mist and the light around them to make them invisible (their not** _ **actually**_ **invisible) the spell has its own personal flourish. Thus the pink tinting of the light and the smell of gingerbready spices that Jamie notices.**

 **Coal got beat up pretty bad when they fought the Hippalectryon. Then, when she tripped over the curb, she slammed down on the side of her head, hitting her temple. It took only a few moments for the concussion to catch up with her, at which point she ended up passing out. The stress of being a demigod got to her. Before she figured out that she was a proper demigod, she could deal with things, but now that she has a "supernatural" explanation for all the weird things that happened to her as a kid, she's having a pretty hard time dealing. All of that stress ended up amplifying the negative effects of a concussion.**

 **Chinese Skullcap is a flower and a homeopathic remedy that is said to help with concussions.**

 **When Paris heals someone, she can generally get the job done. She goes into her "Fearless Healer" mode, where she's not afraid of anything (except for fire. She's always afraid of fire). She's not afraid to get her hands dirty. The readers got to see a preview of this in this chapter.**

 **Chad was an impromptu character. I realized halfway through writing this chapter than I needed someone to give them directions to the natural market/health food store, and voila, you have** _ **Chad**_ **. Chad is fabulous and I had a really fun time writing him. He sort of reminds me of that guy from Captain America: Winter Soldier, except a lot younger and more hippie-ish.**

 **Thea has one of the worse cases of dyslexia that demigods have ever seen. She can read Ancient Greek no problem, but she has a really hard time reading English. As a child, she discovered that she could read better upside down than right side up. So, lots of people saw a ten year old Thea Grace walking around, reading a book upside down. She also received a lot of social stress from the fact that dyslexia damaged her performance in school. Eventually, Jason pulled Wendy and Thea out of public school and sent them to school in New Rome.**

 **Repeated tapping sounds annoy Auden, especially since he has heightened hearing.**

 **It's so dark in the reptile house, the only light coming from glowing green lamps in the ceiling, that it is impossible to find the emergency exit (You know, those cleverly disguised emergency exits in zoos that most of the time aren't signed?).**

 **So… my updating schedule is pretty much out the window. Oh well. I'll try to get back into it, but I do have schoolwork to get down, so updates might come a little slower for a while. Any guesses as to who these two snake people are? I made it rather obvious actually, so I wouldn't be surprised if someone got it. Man, demigods have such bad luck. Anyway, tell me your speculations, guesses and the parts that you liked/didn't like. I love the feedback, and I'd love to help improve my writing. There is a battle coming up, and hopefully it will be easier to follow than the last couple.**

 **PR**


	13. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

In Which Evil Snake Monsters Are Dueled

 _Let's be real, the snake monsters were incredibly creepy, and I would be bloody shreds on the floor right now if Auden hadn't saved my life. I guess I owe him one. But that doesn't matter right now. What matters is the fact that there are snake creatures that are about to kill us, and_ I _sealed us into the reptile house. I sealed us into a prison. It's my fault._

"Auden, look out!" Belle slammed her hands into Auden's side, pushing him to the left as the dragon-snake struck out of at his leg. Auden hit the glass-strewn floor hard.

"I literally _can't_ look out!" He pointed out through gritted teeth. He had lost his walking stick – he had dropped it when he had saved Belle from the exploding glass. He clawed around across the rough ground, looking for his only weapon. Zari screamed again.

"Get back to work, looking for that escape route, Zari!" Jamie chided.

"I can't find it." Zari muttered.

"Keep looking," Jamie said frantically. He glanced over his shoulder. Belle had both of her katars out and she was darting around the dragon, but it lashed around almost as fast she moved, as if anticipating her every move. The snake woman watched Belle jump and duck with amusement playing across her face.

" _Python, my love, kill her already. I go weary of her gamesssssss._ " The snake woman hissed.

" _Yessssss, my love._ " Python hissed back. Belle faltered slightly. The snake-dragon could talk? Python, the dragon, whirled and slammed its wide, flat head into Belle's stomach. She stumbled back, straight into the snake woman. Disgusted, the snake thrust Belle away and into Auden. They stumbled together for a few paces before regaining their balance. It was a miracle that Belle didn't impale him with one of her katars. Auden had managed to retrieve his sword, and now a dusky light emanated from the blade. They pressed their backs against the rocky wall of the reptile room.

"Aren't you Echidna?" Belle didn't know what she was doing until the words left her mouth. The snake woman bared her teeth menacingly, her forked tongue flicking against them.

" _Heroesssss!_ " She screeched indignantly, " _They alwayssss think I am Echidna! Newssssss flasssssh, there was more than one woman-ssssssnake in Greek Mythology! I am Delphyne!_ "

"Does the name mean much to you?" Belle asked Auden. Auden shrugged.

"Never heard of her." He replied.

"Me either."

"Can you magic them?" Auden inquired softly. Belle stiffened.

"Maybe. I can try, but I'm not willing to try any offensive spells in such a small space. If something goes wrong, if could easily hurt one of us." She replied, adjusting her grip on her katars. Her hands were squeezed so tight around her weapon's handles that her knuckles turned white.

"So what do we do? Cower and hope they don't kill us?" Auden shot.

"No. You take the snake woman, I'll take the dragon. The snake woman is the one on the left, by the way." Belle spoke. Her breath was coming in gasps.

" _Kill, my love, kill._ " The snake woman cooed. Python advanced on them, and with no more room to back up, Auden and Belle had to stand and fight. Auden raised his sword, Belle readied her katars. Python struck, its jaw opening impossibly wide for a snake its wings beating.

"Go! I've got this handled!" Belle cried, shoving Auden out of the way of snake for a second time. She leaped forward. As the snake struck at her feet, Belle ducked aside, her toes barely touching the ground. Python's body was grotesquely thin for its huge, well-muscled legs and bony wings. It looked like someone had ripped three different animals apart and stitched them back together. Heck, it was even green, like Frankenstein.

But a long, thin spine also meant it would be easier to cut through the monster's neck. Hopefully, the dragon-snake's bones were brittle. Belle stepped around Python's tail, managing to avoid getting sliced by the barbed end of the tail and getting speared by the snake woman's bident. She dodged under Python's wing in a desperate attempt to stay in his blind spot. She'd seen men pick up snakes right behind their heads. They rarely saw it coming, and couldn't twist their heads far enough to react if they could.

But Belle was mistaken. With lightning fast reflexes, Python turned and lunged at her, ready to dig his fangs into her throat. She threw up her good arm, swinging her katar in a sharp slash. She felt it connect with the flesh of the monster. Snarling, Python staggered backwards. It didn't take him long to prepare for another attack.

His tail came swinging as if from nowhere. Belle yelped and leaped into the air, clearing the tail by several inches. But jumping in the air didn't allow for any changes in direction. Python's head hit her in the chest, sending her sprawling across the dangerous terrain. Belle grunted, struggling to get up. A large, scaly foot suddenly landed on her stomach, knocking what remaining air she had left out of her. The sharp tail whipped around dangerously, knocking her katars out of hands. The momentum of the tail carried it all the way into the nearest wall. Some of the fake rock cracked and caked off, showering dust into Belle's face. Coughing, she tried to breath.

" _I have got her Delphyne…"_ Python hissed. It opened its mouth wide once more, revealing long, gleaming white fangs.

Belle gritted her teeth, yelling as she wounded shoulder protested violently, and slammed her hands into Python's underside. She concentrated on heating up her hands, burning the snake with her bare palms. A gross sizzling sound met her ears over the sounds of Auden's sword striking against the snake woman's, Delphyne's, bident.

Python howled in pain. Its head dipped down in a desperate attempt to bite Belle's neck or face or anything that would stop her… Belle pushed up with all her might, willing her hands to grow even warmer. She thought of fire, heat, searing, burning pain… She thought of how her childhood home had burned to the ground. She recalled how intense the flames had felt against her skin, even at such a far distance. She remembered how they had scorched and charred everything that she had ever owned, except for one small suitcase.

Python howled, or maybe that was Belle. She couldn't tell up from down, light from dark, anything. Everything was just a haze of red hot fire.

The dragon-snake burst into flames, its body disintegrating as the fire leaped around, searching for fuel. It caught the edge of Belle's shirt, and she patted it out quickly. Delphyne was shrieking something in Ancient Greek. Her vision was slowly coming back. She turned to Jamie and Zari. Zari was still searching the walls for the door, but Jamie was staring at Belle, his eyes as wide as saucers.

"How's that door coming?" Belle asked, pushing her hair out of her face.

"Haven't found it yet…" Jamie murmured.

"Check this wall then." Belle motioned to the wall she was lying near. Jamie nodded and came over to her, eying her warily. But Belle didn't care. She had turned her attention to where Auden fought Delphyne. She used her bident deftly, spinning it and twirling it, stopping Auden from getting too close. It seemed like Auden had the upper hand, his blade defending his face from Delphyne's vicious bident attacks. But even as Belle watched, the snake slammed her hand into the blind teen's chest, sending him toppling over. The sharp, two-pronged weapon came crashing down, a point on either side of Auden's neck.

" _You kill my love, I ssssssshall kill your little blind friend."_ The barb on the end of her tail raised up, ready to come crashing down across Auden's stomach.

Belle ran right for Delphyne. It was as if Belle wasn't in full control of her actions anymore. A runner's high had taken over, moving her body without her permission. She was halfway to the snake woman before she remembered that she didn't have either of her katars. But the runner's high part of her didn't care.

She used the heel of her palm, striking the side of Delphyne's wrist. Delphyne lost her grip around her bident's handle, and just to be sure, Belle brought her other arm up in an arc, knocking the snake woman's arm far away from her weapon. Spinning on her heel, Belle slammed her foot into Delphyne's stomach. In a fluid motion, she had catapulted herself out of the monster's reach. Delphyne advanced on Belle, her face contorted in rage. Somehow, the runner's high forced Belle's tired body to react.

She darted forward and kneed Delphyne in the hip, and then brought her elbow into the side of the scaly creature's neck. In the next instant, she had fisted some of her dark hair and pulled it backwards. Delphyne's head snapped backwards and she yelled, shoving Belle away from her. Dazed, the snake woman struggled to recover herself. When she had, she seemed to realize that she was right next to her bident. She pulled the abandoned weapon up out of the ground, freeing Auden. Her face contorted into a smile.

" _Now I have a weapon, and you have none. Let'sssss sssssee how you fare now."_ Delphyne slithered forwards. At that precise moment, the runner's high died away, leaving Belle exhausted and about ready to topple over. The only thing left to use was magic, but after forcing Python to spontaneously combust, Belle didn't feel up to much magic.

Delphyne was in range to strike out with her weapon now. Belle didn't see many options. Swallowing hard, Belle snapped her fingers and drew her hand sharply up through the air. It was a simple spell to disorient an opponent. Belle wasn't very good at it, it might throw off an enemy for a second. But a second was all she needed. She lunged sideways, but she lunged the wrong way, right into a corner. Maybe the disorientation worked twofold.

Delphyne cackled, and the bident came soaring towards Belle's face as she swung it. There was a clang as the metal of the bident met the metal of a Celestial Bronze sword. Belle let out a gasp of relief, Auden had managed to right himself and get there in time to save her.

"That was a bad idea," Auden growled. His arms shook against the weight Delphyne was applying to her bident. He knew that if he gave any ground, he would lose his leverage and the twin-tined weapon would impale both him and Belle, "Move with me Belle." He instructed.

"Absolutely, if it stops me from getting impaled. Statistics say that getting impaled kills demigods ninety-nine point nine-nine percent of the time!" Belle shrieked.

"Helpful, Arakataren. _Very_ helpful."

"I'm here for you."

"Just move!" Auden shifted the edge of his blade into the right position and attempted to use a technique called shedding. He allowed his own blade to slide down the edge of Delphyne's without trying to impede the fact. As the sword came free and Delphyne stumbled forward, Auden swept his arm out and pushed Belle backwards. He retreated after her, his shoulder bumping roughly into the reptile room wall.

Delphyne howled with frustration, her bident moving almost quicker than the eye could see. Auden had to listen carefully to the whistle of the blade moving through the air in order to block the strike. But he was slightly slower than he expected.

The cool metal of Delphyne's weapon bit into his skin of his right arm.

Auden bit down hard on his tongue to keep from crying out. He yanked his arm back and brought his blade down across the base of the bident's prongs. Belle stood on her tip toes, trying to think of a spell to help, but her energy level was at an all-time low. Her eyes widened when she saw the long bloody gash running along Auden's arm.

She saw now that Auden had hooked the hilt of his sword with one of the bident's tines. Jerking back and twisting roughly, the weapon flew from Delphyne's hands once again. It clattered to the floor, one of its Celestial Bronze tines breaking off. Auden stepped fully in front of Belle, holding his sword at long point guard, taking the stance along with it. His arms were almost fully extended, bent slightly at the elbows, both clutching the hilt of his sword. He could sense Belle peering over his shoulder. Her apprehension rolled off of her in waves.

" _Look, you are back on your feet. Finally a challenging fighter! For the Blind, you are truly ssssssskilled. Python whisssssspered ssssstoriesss of the Blind to me in our long yearsssss of confinement. You will rissse again, but not if I kill now."_ Delphyne's laugh was raspy, like sand being poured over a rock. Her forked tongue flicked ominously. She threw her head back as she did this, but Auden didn't take the chance to attack. Belle rolled her eyes. Of course he couldn't see his opponent had let her guard down.

"Attack now!" Belle whispered hoarsely.

"Not yet."

"Now!"

"Not _yet._ "

"Now!"

"Okay, now's good."

Auden lunged forward, keeping his feet on the same orientation. He did his best to balance as he pivoted and swung his sword upward. But his blade didn't connect. Delphyne regained control of her laughter and slithered to one side, closer to Belle. Belle round house kicked Delphyne in the face, her heel glancing off their enemy's jaw, temporarily blinding the serpent woman. Meanwhile Auden had turned the direction of his blade, but only enough to bring the pommel crashing down on Delphyne's head. The snake woman groaned in agony, stumbling away, dazed. She toppled over onto the ground, but her barbed tail whipped around as if it had a life of its own.

It connected with Auden, sending him flying into the nearest display. Luckily, he didn't break the glass, but several cracks appeared, spreading out like a spider's web. His eyes were closed, and for a sickening moment, he didn't stir. Then, his chest heaved and he opened his eyes. He stared straight at Belle, his unseeing eyes not focusing on her completely.

"End it now!" He yelled. Belle looked around desperately for a weapon, but Auden had somehow managed to hold onto his sword. The nearest thing was the shattered remains of the bident. Belle leaped for it, grabbing the broken-off blade. She whirled on Delphyne, just as Zari and Jamie whooped in unison. Bright daylight poured inside the reptile room, forcing Belle to close her eyes.

Blindly, she thrust the Celestial Bronze downwards at Delphyne.

The snake woman exploded into yellow powder, and Belle collapsed on the floor where she had just been.

When Belle came to, she was no longer in the reptile room in the Central Park Zoo. She was in a dark cavern, shrouded mostly in shadow. Vera was sitting on the floor, one leg stretched out and the other pulled up to her chest. Her chin rested on her knee. She looked bedraggled and miserable.

"This door that you want me to open, where does it lead?" Vera asked to no one in particular. All around them, the shadows seemed to shift and move.

" _That is none of your concern. But you will find out if you open the door._ " A grating voice spoke. Belle stiffened. She had heard the voice before, when scrying and looking for Vera.

"But I don't know how!" Vera whined, sounding very close to tears. She was more beat up then Belle had originally thought. Dark bruises covered most of her skin, and there were hurt circles around both eyes. One of her eyes was mostly swollen shut. She looked ten times worse than when Belle had last seen her. What had happened? What had changed?

" _All people like you know how."_ The voice replied. Everything began to fade, and become fuzzy. The world rocked and swirled violently, and then the image was gone, leaving only blackness in its stead.

At first, the next series of images were impossibly fuzzy – incredibly hard to determine what was going on. Slowly, the scene came into focus. Belle was standing in an old-fashioned Greek house, marble columns and walls towering around her. She must've been in one of the back rooms, because it was sparsely decorated, except for a glinting sword fastened to the wall and two messy straw bedrolls. A woman dressed traditionally in Greek clothes, her dress made out of white linen. Her chiton was obviously new, since it was still as white as snow, but her peplos looked older and more well-worn. The woman also wore a strip of cloth tucking under her left arm and draping over her right shoulder, fastening in the back. This part of the dress, Belle knew was called a himation. All three different articles of dress had a strange, glittering quality about them as if someone had stiches gold into the very fabric. Her peplos was pinned in place at each shoulder with a decorative, ornamental peronai. From the bright white and gold of her gown, the woman's olive skin and elaborately braided hair stood out. Her eyes were a gentle blue-green, and she watched the sword hung from the wall with approval.

Suddenly, through the doorway, a man rushed. He wore a dusty tunic and sandals that were almost completely covered by his chlamys, a blanket-sized piece of cloth wrapping around the one shoulder and pinning like a cape on the other. His features were sharp and angular, with a straight, flat nose. His skin was olive, like the woman's, but his hair was lighter brown and his eyes dark brown – like coffee beans, Belle thought.

"Eriphyle!" The man exclaimed. Eriphyle looked around in surprise, her thin eyebrows raising up towards her hairline.

"You return, my love! Where have you been this time Amphiaraus?" Eriphyle's lips curled in a welcoming smile.

"I was alone in the Gardens, when I vision came to me." Now, Eriphyle's lips had thinned considerably. She watched her husband, her eyes narrowed.

"And what did the gods tell you this time?" She asked, as if she was just humoring him.

"The gods told me nothing, I saw something not to do with the gods. I saw destruction. I saw the death of the Seven against Thebes expedition. It is doomed to fail, and I know Adrastus will be here soon, demanding that I go with him on this expedition. But I cannot do that. I know what destruction will follow if I do. I dare not leave Alcmaeon, Amphilochus, Eurydice, and Demonassa fatherless if something befalls me on this journey. I shall not go." Amphiaraus spoke resolutely. Eriphyle's smile had returned, but it seemed less sure than before.

"Do you remember the oath you made to me before Zeus?" Her voice was sweet, gentle, coaxing.

"I swore to love you and to remain loyal to you and only you throughout the rest of my life. I swore that my gaze would never follow another woman. I swore…" Amphiaraus trailed off, taking in a deep breath, "I swore to abide by your decisions that you make, where, at any point, my opinion differs from Adrastus."

Before Eriphyle could answer, a girl young girl barely eleven, who was the spitting image of her mother, came scrambling into the room, her peplos askew. She barely paused to catch her breath before launching into a rapid speech.

"Adrastus is here. He wants you to come with him on some expedition, the Seven against Thebes. Are you going to go, Papa? Are you?" She brushed some of her loose dark hair out of her eyes, which Belle now saw were the only defining feature between her and her mother. While Eriphyle had blue-green eyes, this girl had her father's eyes. Amphiaraus looked at her, a smile threatening to break out across his face.

"No, my dearest. I will not go. Run along and tell Adrastus to come here. I must tell him my decision face to face. Like a good little girl, quick now, Demonassa." Demonassa ran out of the room, her long dark hair flying away from her face. Belle watched the little girl go, but her focus returned to Ampiaraus and Eriphyle almost immediately.

"As I was saying, did you not swear to abide by my decisions when your opinion differs from Adrastus?" Eriphyle's voice was sweet, but there was an underlying edge to it. She flashed Amphiaraus a syrupy smile, something that did not become her features.

"As I have confirmed, indeed." Amphiaraus responded in a grim tone that implied he regretted making that promise now.

Again, as Eriphyle opened her lips to respond, they were interrupted, this time by a man in a deep blue chlamys with gold edging. He was noble looking, with a high forehead, lighter skin and lighter hair than both Eriphyle and Amphiaraus. He had a sort of kingliness about him – something regal that Belle couldn't quite place.

"Adrastus!" Eriphyle cried, delicately covering her mouth with her hand, "What a pleasure it is to see you again, My Lord."

"The pleasure is truly all mine, beauteous Eriphyle, wife of Amphiaraus," The man, who must've been Adrastus, declared. He turned to Amphiaraus and offered a hand to him, "But I have not come simply to gaze upon what a fine wife you have found yourself after our feud, dear Amphiaraus. I have come to ask your aid in the expedition I am about to depart on."

"No," Amphiaraus shook his head, "I have foreseen horrible consequences to the Seven against Thebes. I will not go with you on your expedition, for I have even seen the death of almost all in the company of you. I do not know if you were amongst those to die."

"Come now, Amphiaraus!" Adrastus obviously thought that Amphiaraus was kidding. His eyes were twinkling good naturedly, "We need your expertise. Leave your petty future seeing and come with us. When has what you have seen come to pass?" Amphiaraus opened his mouth, probably to respond _all the time_ , but Eriphyle, who had been silent up to this point, suddenly asserted herself.

"My decision, husband, is that you go with Adrastus on the expedition of the Seven against Thebes. I shall see you when you return, my love." Eriphyle smiled again, the same sweet smile. Amphiaraus sighed deeply.

"Very well. I will go with you Adrastus. But be warned, this expedition is ill-fated." Then, the entire scene dissolved before Belle's eyes, Amphiaraus's face the final part to fade into darkness. He looked pained as he spoke, like he had been subjected to pure agony.

Belle swallowed hard.

It took her a second to realize that she was lying, face down on the scattered, broken pieces of glass across the floor. It took her another minute for her body to catch up with her mind. But that time, Jamie and Auden were lifting her to her feet and helping her balance.

Blood from Auden's arm smeared all across her shirt as he steadied her.

"Are you alright?" He demanded.

"You tell me. Do I look horrid?" Belle questioned. Auden made a face.

"Haha, very funny," Auden rolled his eyes, "Poke fun at the blind guy. Sense of humor intact? Check. She's _fine_." He told Jamie and Zari. Belle became aware of her surroundings as everything came into sharper detail. Zari was hovering at their escape exit, looking concerned. Jamie was limping towards Zari, and Auden hovered at Belle's side. His sword was still out, hanging limply in his left hand.

"We won." Belle didn't even bother to force a smile.

"We lost valuable time. We've got to get moving, and fast." Jamie called from the entrance. Belle nodded and with Auden trailing behind her, she walked briskly to the exit. She nodded her head slightly as she ducked outside. She felt battered and sore all over.

The sunlight was bright, almost blinding after the dimness of the reptile room. She wrapped her arms around herself, glancing around. How long had she been out? What was going on now? Where were the cops? A grey bird, probably a pigeon, flitted across her vision. New York certainly was famous for their pigeons.

"What happens next?" Belle asked, squinting and shielding her eyes with her hand. Jamie was already on the other side of a low fence, cars rushed past behind him on the Fifth Avenue. Zari was helping Auden not hit his head on the emergency exit. Zari was almost comically taller than him, Belle realized. While Auden was taller than _she_ was, standing at 5'4'', Zari was closer to 5'8''. With an exasperated sigh, she realized that Zari was _definitely_ comically taller than she was. Belle was almost exactly 5'0'' tall. Or more accurately, 5'0'' short.

"We skedaddle." Jamie said, glancing over his shoulder at the street. Another pigeon flew past, landing near Jamie's foot.

"Jamie, no one says 'skedaddle' anymore." Auden said. Zari was helping him over to the fence. In the light, his face looked worse than it had in the dark. Angry purple bruises marred his cheeks and chin, and a several cuts oozed blood onto his forehead.

"I do, on occasion." Belle piped up. Auden snorted.

"Of course you do. You're Belle." He responded lightly. Belle's nostrils flared, and she rounded on him, eyes blazing.

"And what's that supposed to mean?" She demanded, placing her hands on her hips. As if Auden had been hit by an invisible wall, he threw his arms up into the air apologetically.

"Don't shoot me, I probably don't deserve it!" He cried, the corners of his mouth quirking up slightly. Rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly, he deflated slightly, "I didn't mean to be rude Belle. I meant it as a joke. You say all sorts of crazy old-fashioned things. Like ' _just so_ ' and ' _ever so_ '." Belle's shoulders sagged.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to snap at you, Remi. I'm a little stressed right now, and in a whole lot of pain." As if on cue, she leaned down hard against the fence and it creaked under her sudden weight, the rusty metal beginning to fracture.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. We don't want to get accused of vandalism on top of everything else." Jamie said, offering Belle his hand. Gladly, Belle took it and allowed him to scoop her up and set her on the other side of the fence. He was a good foot taller than her, and considerably stronger. He picked her up like she weighed about as much as a feather.

"I think blowing up an exhibit in the reptile room counts as vandalism." Belle pointed out dryly as Jamie set her down. He rolled his eyes.

"Of course. I meant that we don't want to get accursed of _more_ vandalism," He cracked a smile, "But perhaps a broken fence won't add too much to the charges. We're probably wanted by the NYPD by now."

"If only I could get to the security cameras. I could use the Mist to alter what the footage looks like!" Zari slapped her forehead, "If only I had thought of that before."

"Too bad. That would've been a good idea when we were close enough. No going back now." Jamie shook his head. With help from both Jamie and Zari, Auden managed to get over the fence without tripping and face-planting in the pavement. The exhaustion of the fight was getting to him too, Belle could see it in the way he walked. Usually, he had a sort of bouncing step, and now he staggered and shuffled along. His hands were shaking, and almost as if he sensed Belle looking at them, he stuffed them violently into his pockets.

Zari slid over the fence without assistance, batting away at a pigeon that had come flying at her face, "What is wrong with these birds?" She demanded as another one made to dive bomb her.

"They're New York pigeons. _Central Park_ pigeons if we want to be exact. They expect to be fed by every single passer-by." Jamie replied, but he too had been forced to swat one of the birds away.

"Is touching them really a good idea?" Belle put her weight on one foot and crossed her arms, but in a second she was forced to duck as one of the birds when flying at her face, talons extended, "Aren't they, like, the world's number one carrier of disease? Don't people theorize they're going to start the zombie apocalypse or something?"

"The zombie apocalypse?" Auden asked incredulously.

"I don't know. Paul blabs about it all the time." Belle replied, her tone dismissive.

"Do you seriously think that will happen?" The redheaded teen smiled.

"Since there's a very distinct possibility that we might be going straight to the Underworld, yes, yes I do." Belle spun around on one foot and kicked one of the dive-bombing birds out of the air before it hit Auden in the face.

"What makes you say that?" Jamie and Zari grunted in unison.

"I had a dream. I can explain it later, when we meet back up with Marley. I think the Underworld is a safe bet to look for Amphiaraus." Belle replied. Several of the birds keened unhappily when they heard mention of the name, renewing their attack on the four teenagers. Auden punched one clean out of the air with a lucky shot. The stunned bird fluttered to the cement sidewalk and stayed there.

"When'd you have a _dream_?" Zari questioned, just as Auden spoke at the same time, saying, "Do you have any idea how hard it is to hit something that you don't know where it is?" He whirled around, missing hitting Jamie in the face by inches. The tall boy side-stepped another bird – that Belle was now sure was definitely not a pigeon – and smacked it out of the air with the back of his hand.

"I don't think these are regular birds, guys." He spoke.

"No kidding!" Auden yelped as one of the bird's wings clipped his cheek. The feathers left long gashes across his skin. His hand flying to his face, he failed to hear the same bird approaching for another attack. It never reached him. In an instant, Jamie had slammed the bird with the end of his staff Celestial Bronze staff, and it had burst into golden powder on the pavement.

"So… they're definitely monsters!" Zari's voice was thin and strained.

"Oh, come on! How much more of this can we take? Are monsters just lurking around New York, waiting to attack us?" Belle wailed.

"Tell me about it." Jamie grunted. He expertly twirled his staff into the nearest bird, which exploded into yellow powder. Zari batted one away from her face.

"Stymphalian Birds!" She exclaimed, "Auden, Belle, you two make a run for it. The subway is nearby, you can catch a ride to the Rockefeller Center."

"No way!" Belle and Auden spoke in unison.

"You two are pretty beat up from the fight with Delphyne and Python." Zari argued.

"That doesn't mean we're useless!" Belle snarled, striking one Stymphalian Bird out of the air with her fist. Jamie pulled her out of the way of another kamikaze winged creature before it hit her in the back of the head and struck it with the butt of his staff. It burst into yellow powder, covering both of their faces in monster dust. Belle spat some out, "Pah!" She retched.

"Zari's right. You should run for it. You and Auden are looking pretty battered." Jamie told her, very calmly for someone dueling dive-bombing birds.

"What do you think the mortals see?" Zari questioned quietly as a car sped past. The window was rolled down and the driver was shouting something.

"Probably some kids attacking some poor Central Park Pigeons. That's not the point. We can't split up any more than we already have. We should stick together!" Belle cried. She jumped up with one leg and then brought the other up in a powerful snap-kick. The bird she had hit tumbled out of the air and onto the ground, but she didn't have an extra moment to grab out her katars. The birds were coming too fast.

"We can't defend you and defeat all of these, and I don't like our chances of all four of us running away. We'll draw too much attention." Jamie countered.

"We already _are_ drawing too much attention!" Auden pointed out. He had dropped to his knees, covering his face and neck with his arms. He couldn't see his opponents coming, he could only hear their cries and the beat of their wings. With so many of them, it made it hard to determine where the nearer ones were coming from.

"You need to run, and you need to run _now._ We'll draw them off, keep them from following you. Once we've defeated all of these nasty pests, we'll rendezvous at the Rockefeller Center. See you in a bit." Zari waved the away. Belle sighed. Grunting as she round-house kicked another bird from the air, she whirled around on her toes. There, on the ground, lay Auden's walking stick. She helped Auden to his feet, snatched the walking stick with her free hand and charged across the street.

Horns honked and cars braked wildly to avoid hitting to the two teenager J-walkers. Several people with strong New Jersey accents leaned out of their cars and let loose streams of profanity towards Auden and Belle. Belle rolled her eyes, pulling Auden up onto the curb. He stripped a little on a crack in the pavement, and recovered himself.

"What now?" He asked. Belle peered across the street. Zari and Jamie were barely visible under and swirling tornado of Stymphalian Birds.

"Now, we run for the subway. It'll take us to the Rockefeller Center pretty quick, won't it?" Belle questioned. Auden shrugged.

"No idea. Worth a shot though. Let's go." He started off in one direction on the sidewalk and nearly fell onto a parked car. Belle managed to grab his elbow before he did that. She heaved him upright, snorting with laughter.

"That way is the street, genius." She told him.

"Right. I knew that." Auden grumbled.

"No, no you didn't." She laughed. But she immediately pulled her hand away from him. Her hands were shaking so bad that she had barely been able to catch him. She hoped that Auden hadn't noticed, but those hopes were crushed when Auden poked her in the shoulder.

"Your hands were shaking. Are you alright?" He asked.

"Of course. Shaking hands is just the body's way of letting off some of the stress of the day." Belle answered. All the same, she set down Auden's walking stick and stuffed her hands in her pockets as deep as they would go, willing them to stop. It was embarrassing. It was like admitting that she wasn't as good as people gave her credit for. Even though she'd attended Camp Half Blood for four years and was best friends with two children of Camp Half Blood veterans, she had rarely faced real monsters. It had all be training and practicing. She'd never been on a real quest, and now that she was on a real quest, dread swirled in her gut. She had made a mistake sealing them in the reptile room. She had failed them by breaking Python and Delphyne out. The whole skirmish in the dark, enclosed space had been her fault. Guilt manifested itself in her stomach like a led weight.

Auden suddenly swore. Belle whirled around.

"What?" She demanded.

"My walking stick! I dropped it in the battle!" He slapped his forehead, "I just lost my only weapon." He groaned. Belle knelt and picked up the walking stick she had set down, pressing it into Auden's hands.

"I grabbed it. Never fear!" She flourished her arms over dramatically as she curtsied to him, before she recalled that he wouldn't laugh at her eccentrics, he couldn't see. Wincing and holding her shoulder, she smiled weakly. She would never get used to that.

Back across the street, Zari and Jamie dueled on. They could hear shouts from mortals and sirens beginning to blare again in the distance. Jamie swiped his staff through the air and knocked out three birds in one swing, but another one sliced the side of his neck.

"Agh!" He clutched the side of his neck, blood oozing between his fingers.

"Time to go." Zari said, lurching forward and blasting the final Stymphalian Bird out of the sky with a well-placed fireball. When the floating dust cleared, Auden and Belle had disappeared from across the street. Jamie and Zari glanced at each other, and then Zari grabbed Jamie's arm and pulled him away down the street in the opposite direction of Auden and Belle. Honestly, Zari didn't know where she was going, but she hoped it was in the right direction.

 **A Couple of Notes about the Chapter:**

 **Delphyne is mythology is also associated with Echidna, and on occasion mistaken for her, but a lot of people define them as two separate people. Traditionally, Python was a snake creature that she had children with. Python also guarded the Oracle for a while.**

 **Belle has always thought of herself as 5'0'' short, instead of 5'0'' tall, seeing as she is smaller both in frame and height than almost everyone she knows. To most people, she looks pretty fragile.**

 **The spontaneous combustion that occurred when Belle killed Python was driven primarily by Belle's emotions. She was frustrated with the fight, worried about everyone, and primarily, upset about recalling her home burning to the ground. She channeled her anger into spontaneous combustion. Like any other demigod's power, her abilities are manipulated by emotion.**

 **A bident is a two-pronged trident. It looks like a normal trident pretty much except the middle tine is missing. Delphyne got that weapon because a) it sounded pretty cool, b) it was a Greek weapon and c) a lot of the illustrations of Delphyne show her with this weapon.**

 **Belle finds Zari annoyingly, comically taller than her.**

 **Reviews (I think I've forgotten to do this the past few updates):**

 **Revenge77: Aw, thanks so much! I'm really glad you liked the last chapter. That makes me so happy! Yay!**

 **In some upcoming chapters, we should get some scenes with Emily Zhang and David McCarty. I'm excited, but I might have to make some adjustments. That is actually it for now. Nothing else more to say really. Comment with speculations and guesses, as well as giving me feedback on how my writing is doing. I really appreciate it. The next chapter is in the works, however my internet has been spotty, so I don't know when I'll be able to update.**

 **-PR**


	14. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

In Which The Team Gets Back Together

 _Well, today was a disaster. No way around it. I'm too tired to say much else. I need a nap. Go away. Sincerely, Belle. Just kidding. But I am pretty beat up like the rest of the questers. And I do need a nap. Ugh, this day just keeps getting worse and worse._

"Where the Tartarus are they?!" Thea was very, very, very, very ticked off, Marley decided, watching her as she paced up and down the abandoned, trash-filled alley. Across her shoulder she carried a plastic bag containing what Paris had asked for. But Paris and Coal were nowhere in sight, and four of the eight packs were gone too. Marley decided, looking at the remaining four packs, when he returned to Camp Half Blood, he would petition the Hecate Cabin Counselor to make a magical backpack that carried everything you needed it too without weighing you down too much.

"Maybe the cops came by and they had to make a break for it." Marley suggested. Thea rounded on him, eyes blazing and nostrils flared.

"No note, no sign of where they went-"

"Will they really leave a note, Grace?" Marley demanded, "They didn't even have any paper."

"Still! Graffiti is always an option." Thea huffed, throwing her arms across her chest and folding them.

"There are so many things wrong with that statement. Like it's illegal. We don't have paint. And nothing says 'I am a criminal and I went to X location' like marking it on the wall with graffiti." Marley argued. Thea gave him a stony look to silence him.

"I just don't—agh!" She pressed her hand against her forehead as if she had a headache.

"Look, we'll find them at the Rockefeller Center. This'll all work out." Marley reached out to comfortingly put his hand on her shoulder, but she ducked away from him, giving him the pure death glare.

"Maybe, but this whole day has just been one complication after the next. I swear I am going to break the next monsters nose that interrupts our quest." Thea smacked one of her hands against the other. Marley was not in the mood to point out that the next monster they would run into might not have a nose (you could never know these sorts of things, in all honesty), or perhaps that it was Thea's fault all of this had happened (she had released the Hippalectryons, after all, and she hadn't even given a good excuse why. If those horrific monstrosities hadn't attacked, the questers could be well on their way to saving Vera).

Plucking up two of the four packs, she marched purposefully out of the alleyway, her eyes blazing. She jaywalked across the street, causing a car to slam on the brakes and the driver to honk his horn at her repeatedly. She ignored the driver. Marley sprinted after her in concern, waving apologies to the man driving the car as he did so. With their luck, the man would turn out to be a monster in disguise, waiting to attack them. Fortunately, the man didn't start sprouting tentacles out of his ears, so Marley betted they were fairly safe.

With everything that had happened since Argus had left them, which was only about an hour and a half ago, Marley realized with a start, they had good reason to be on edge. Monsters galore… this was not going great. Marley was pretty sure Thea was rapidly losing confidence in his leading abilities. He wanted to groan out loud, but he refrained. The last thing he needed today was Thea giving him a murderous but somewhat concerned look.

It wasn't that he was insecure about his leadership abilities. He knew he had what it was going to take to get Vera back to Camp safely. He knew that it was possible – or at least, he had known that when he had woken up this morning. But with the new deadline, his separation from the other questers and everything that had happened in the day, things kept getting more and more impossible.

He watched Thea's ponytail sway back and forth across her shoulders idly, not really taking in what he was seeing. What if everyone would want to go back to camp after such a disaster of a day? Marley could not let that happen – he had to save his little sister. There was no negotiation on that fact. Vera _had_ to be rescued.

But he would worry about that later… first he had to deal with one furious Grace.

Thea strode angrily down the street, her movements so calculated, Marley thought she was doing some walking exercise where her form had to be perfect. Her back was rigid as if a broom was tied to it, her shoulders rolled back and her neck extended. She glared at the pedestrian traffic in front of them like they had made some offensive gesture, and she kept muttering to herself about how useless people were. There were a few people on what had been a deserted street before. Most of them looked a bit shadier than Marley would have liked, wearing dark hoodies, muddy jeans and sour expressions, but they didn't bother Marley and Thea, and so Marley didn't bother them.

"Come on, Thea, calm down. You're blowing this way out of proportion. They're at the Rockefeller Center, I'm positive." Marley reached out to grip her arm. He had to jog a little to catch up with her. Although he was a good few inches taller than her, she walked fast. He gripped her arm and spun her around. In the sunlight, her eyes flashed golden. She blinked and shaded her face with her hand.

"That's the sun, Marley. You're actually not supposed to look directly at it. I think you may have just blinded me." She snapped.

"No, you don't say?!" Marley exclaimed sarcastically, "I never would have guessed." He stepped in the line of the sunlight so that Thea could open her eyes, but she didn't stop shading her face from the light. Marley figured he must have a glowing halo around his head from the weird look Thea was giving him. Just great.

"The last thing I need is attitude from you right now, Nox-Spawn." The blonde snarled. Marley blinked rapidly several times then reached out and pressed her hand to her forehead in concern.

"Are you okay?" He asked. Her skin felt feverish under his hand, like she had a bad sunburn.

Thea gave her head a little shake and rubbed her temple, "Yeah, I think so," She spoke, sounding a lot more like herself. She glanced up at Marley, stepping away from his hand, "I just have a bit of a headache. What's wrong now?"

"You just called me Nox-Spawn." Marley stated. He reached out to grab Thea again. She had been burning up. On top of everything else, he did not need a sick quester, especially if it was his official-unofficial second in command. Thea merely frowned like she was concentrating hard.

"I did?" She sounded a little bit faint. Her eyes still squinted against the sun, she rubbed her face vigorously. Spots of pink appeared on her cheeks, "Agh, we don't have time to waste. We need to get to the Rockefeller Center." She offered her hand to Marley. Reluctantly, Marley took the proffered hand.

. Cars rumbled by on the street next to them, making their way places on perfectly normal, monster-free routes, their drivers average mortals. Marley found himself longing for those snug car interiors. He might be driving to tour a college right then, Thea in the car next to him, reading some pop culture magazine. Vera would be on the other side, watching out the window at all the people on the sidewalk. But instead, his muscles ached with exhaustion from running and he too was beginning to develop a headache. He had dreamed of this being an easy quest where they rushed in and rescued Vera from the clutches of darkness, but _NO_ , that would be too simple. Why did everything have to be so complicated for a demigod?

"What a disaster," he groaned as they started walking again

"What, this day or this quest?" Thea questioned.

"Both." Marley moaned. He ran his fingers through his hair, making it stick up at all different directions. A thousand worried weighed on his shoulders. He didn't know how he was going to survive this entire quest. He had seven campers to keep track of, and he was also responsible for their success. He couldn't manage it. He just couldn't. He laughed humorlessly.

"Yeah, this day sucked, but we can still rescue your sister. Don't worry." She gave his hand a squeeze. He stared at her. Her multicolored eyes left his defenseless, searching his face for answers to her statement. He was slightly stunned by how calming the words seemed. Then, it clicked. Her mother was Piper McLean, one of the greatest daughters of Aphrodite to ever live. Even if Thea didn't seem to have most of the abilities from her parents, Marley had the sneaking suspicion she could do more then she let on. She might even have latent abilities that were just now manifesting themselves. Or it could be something subconscious that she didn't even know she was doing. Whatever the case, Thea did a pretty good job of calming Marley down, now that she had calmed down a bit herself.

"You think?" He asked uncertainly. Smirking, Thea shrugged.

"We're eight awesome demigods. We survived the first part of the day, and they always say the beginning is the hardest part. What could go wrong?" She asked.

"The day's not over yet, Thea. Things could still go horribly wrong," Marley pointed out, "We could be attacked by giant bronze bulls, we might not find our companions... Heck, Zeus might decide he's angry at us and strike us down!"

"He wouldn't strike me down." Thea said. Marley snorted.

"Why? Because you're his granddaughter?" He asked incredulously. Thea's smirk grew wider.

"Precisely," She replied.

"Then Hera will strike us down! It honestly doesn't matter semantics, one of the gods, any one of the gods, could decide to strike us down on a whim because I said something like: 'I like chocolate more than vanilla'!" Marley motioned wildly with his free hand. It felt good to raise his voice a little, let off some of the stress of the day. As an added bonus, he caused Thea to cover her mouth to stop herself from laughing.

"I'm more partial to vanilla myself," She said. She was too distracted looking at him over her shoulder that she walked into a lamppost the next step. "Why didn't you tell me that was there?!" She exclaimed, angry again.

"Gods! Are you okay? I honestly did _not_ notice that there, I swear." Marley cried. Thea rubbed the side of her head, still glaring at Marley, but somewhat appeased by the fact he hadn't seen it either. She was probably going to have a bruise. Marley reminded himself that he shouldn't waste nectar or ambrosia on silly little things like this, but he had the temptation to give Thea some. She had walked into the post pretty hard. He swallowed the impulse, and allowed himself to be dragged down the sidewalk while Thea ranted about how inconsiderate the city designers had been to place the lamppost _there_ of all places.

"What couldn't they have put it two feet to the left?" She complained.

.o0O0o.

Getting on the Subway was surprisingly easy after the monster attacks of the day. They stopped at the ticket counter and Belle simply snapped her fingers. Auden felt it – a ripple in the air as the Mist adjusted to what Belle wanted. The ticket lady nodded them through with a dreamy smile on her face. Boarding the underground train was a piece of cake. They even found seats quickly and settled down next to each other near the back. People poured in around them, filling the other seats and holding onto the metal bars to keep from falling down.

The Subway lurched into motion.

"I guess we're not as well trained as we thought we were." Belle wrapped her arms around her knees, slowly rocking back and forth. She looked up to meet Auden's eyes. It was one of those moments where she was certain that Auden could see – she was certain that Auden was looking right at her. When Auden spoke, his words surprised her.

"Maybe not, but in a way, you are only as a strong as you think you are. Strength isn't about how many battles you can win. You'll win some and you'll lose some, but whether or not your give up is where true strength is revealed. We might not be as well trained as some of the demigods, like Silena or Thea, but we were chosen for this quest for a reason, and whatever the reason is, it wasn't just to get beaten by monsters." Auden replied.

"We got beaten, Auden. We failed. Look at us, we're a mess. You're bleeding from five different places and I can barely use one of my arms. We weren't brave enough, we weren't strong enough, and we weren't wise enough to see this coming. We are failures, and dramatic ones at that." Belle rested her sore, cut up chin on her knees. She was glad Auden couldn't see now, because he would see the tears rushing into her eyes. There was an uncomfortable prickling sensation under the bridge of her nose. Why had Marley chosen someone who would fail for his quest? She recalled Auden saying that in the game of chess, Nemesis had called her the queen. She didn't feel much like a queen now. She felt more like… an exhausted girl who just wanted to sleep without having to worry about monsters.

"Strength and training doesn't mean that you never fail. It means that when you're scared to death, you are willing to keep pushing on and keep fighting. It means when failure knocks you down, you get right back up and fight back. Paul has told me a lot about you Belle, and the primary thing he's told me is that you don't give ground. He said that you were one of the bravest people that he knows, and I believe it. You pushed me out of the way of getting bitten by Python at your own risk. You protected the people in the zoo, even though you could have died." Auden stated. Belle cracked a smile.

"That's just part of the job description. You know, saving the world and being selfless. You're not so bad at it yourself, even if you can't see." She replied.

"Yeah, but you do it really well. When protecting that family, you weren't scared once." He spoke. Belle snorted.

"More accurately, I was scared out of my mind, you just couldn't see my face to tell that I was very much freaked out that I was going to die." Belle sighed. She chewed her bottom lip.

"It takes an extraordinary person to take on what you took on, to face monsters like that. Those won't be the last monsters that we face, and we're going to have to fight hard in order to rescue Vera," Auden held out his hand to Belle, "You're with me, right? You'll have me back?"

"What if this happens again, and we get all beat up and fail?" Belle asked, staring blankly at the hand.

"We won't. Sometimes, all it takes is twenty seconds of insane bravery to succeed. I think someone famous said that once. Come on, take my hand. Twenty seconds. Are you with me?"

Belle tentatively reached out and took his hand, nodding slowly, "I'm with you. Barring death, and other terminal afflictions, I'll have your back. Never give in, never give up, never back down, blah, blah, blah. Until the bitter end. More words from famous people." They shook hands.

"I'm partial to the ending of this quest not being bitter, personally, but that's just me." Auden drawled. Belle rolled her eyes.

"I'm rolling my eyes, Auden." She informed him.

"Never gets old, does it?" Auden answered, shaking his head and chuckling.

"Nope!" Belle responded cheerily.

"Gods, Paul told me you were stubborn and irritating at times, but he didn't tell me about this part!" Auden moaned. Belle's eyebrows shot up into her hairline.

"Excuse me? Paul actually said that? Now I have to get back to Camp Half Blood! He is going to regret opening his mouth to you!" Belle exclaimed, irate. Auden was laughing at her now, the corners of his eyes crinkled up as he laughed. Pretty soon, Belle was laughing too, though she had no idea why. She was beat up, her hands were shaking, the stress was building, yet she couldn't stop laughing. The people on the Subway gave them funny looks, but Belle didn't care, and Auden couldn't see them. She felt like she was floating up on top of the world, like all the weight had been lifted off her shoulders.

Soon, the stops were going past as Belle and Auden laughed and talked.

"You know what would be fabulous?" Auden said.

"What?" Belle asked.

"Bats of Doom. You know, baseball bats that you enchant to follow your command. You gave me the idea when we were fighting those giants to rescue Marley, Jamie and Vera the first time. You said 'Up, brambles' and I could feel the brambles moving around me. It got me thinking, what if you could pre-enchant an item to do something like that… automatic tying rope or something that, where you wouldn't have to exert any energy doing actual magic 'cause, you know, it's already been enchanted for that purpose. And then I thought, what if you could enchant a baseball bat to do something like that. You could say 'Up, Bat of Doom! Beat that _Dracaena'_ or something." Auden explained. Belle's eyes widened.

"That is the most brilliant thing I have ever heard anyone say. I am doing this! Expect I think we should call them Bats of Infinite Pain. Or Bats of Death." Belle cried excitedly.

The rest of the subway ride was spent brainstorming on ideas for names for the magically enchanted baseball bats. So far, their best was _Bats of Excruciatingly Painful Demise._

When they got off the subway at the station that said it was near the Rockefeller Center on the map, Belle and Auden were still chatting. They ducked passed some men dressed in suits who were now boarding the train and headed up the steps out of the station. Emerging into bright sunlight was slightly disconcerting for Belle, although it made little difference for Auden, who was tapping his walking stick on the ground as if they were the most normal pair in the world. They could even pass as siblings – though granted Auden's hair was more violently scarlet then Belle's.

They turned down another busy street, pushed through a crowd of bustling shoppers and caught their first glimpse of their destination. Or more accurately, Belle did. Auden had to nudge her to remind her to tell him what she saw when she gasped loudly.

"It's a really, really tall building with lots of windows," she described, "And it has a lot of flags near its entrance." What she said was true, there were many flags around the doors into the Rockefeller Center. All the flags stood on an elevated platform above the rest of the street so one would have to climb up a short flight to stairs to reach the glass doors that led inside. As they drew closer, Belle realized that the front of the stone platform was actually a waterfall, flowing down into a small pond below. Dining tables had been set up in the plaza below the building, every table covered in large white table clothes and glittery crystal glasses. In front of the waterfall stood a large golden statue of who Belle could only guess was Prometheus, because he carried fire in one hand and was hurrying along. The golden rendering of him was a statue, but even if it were the real Titan, he would have no idea he was signing his warrant for eternal torment.

Belle grabbed Auden's hand and led him through the crowd up to the base of the statue. It was a bit of a walk, but they made it. Staring up at the gold statue, Belle decided that the man looked rather… lonely. Desperate and lonely.

Over the gentle splash of the waterfall, she described the statue to Auden, and all of the different flags on the platform above. They made their way up the stairs and settled down, sitting at the base of a blue and white flag. Belle didn't know which country it was for. Switzerland maybe? No, that didn't sound right…

The minutes ticked by. Belle became fidgety. From their vantage point, they could watch all the proceedings occurring below. Well, only Belle could. Auden was busy pulling apart leaves from a nearby shrubbery and trying to braid them together. Belle had to admit, for a guy who couldn't see, he was making an admiral attempt at braiding. He was actually pretty good at it.

They talked about little things, things beyond the quest. Where Auden wanted to go to college if he survived the quest (He wasn't sure, but maybe New Rome so he didn't have to worry about monsters), what was Belle's favorite place to visit (A time between Norway and England), and if Auden had any pets (unfortunately, no. It seemed that Nico was allergic to cats and anything with fur on it. Auden was pretty sure Nico was lying about the fact, but he did not push his sort of step-father). Auden had just asked Belle what she thought of Paul when she jumped to her feet, cutting him off mid-sentence.

"There's Thea! And Marley! Where are the others?" Auden stood up beside her, pretended to peer out and then knocked her shoulder playfully.

"Stop staring at them and take us to them, genius," He said, "Blind, remember?" Belle laughed lightly.

"You don't need to remind you. I remember for the most part. How else am I expected to make my fantabulous blind jokes?" She queried, grabbing his hand and pulling him down the steps to where Marley and Thea were looking around worriedly. She waved her arms at them as she approached.

"Grace! Jameson! You chaps!" She shouted.

"Why do you call people by their last names sometimes?" Auden frowned as they scrambled along. He was having trouble not tripping and falling face first down the steps, they were wider than he was used to and Belle was going at such a speed he couldn't use his walking stick.

"I dunno. Why do people call me Arabelle at random? Same concept, really." She shrugged.

"Not really… Arabelle is your full name. It's like calling Thea by her full name-" Auden started.

"What? Chrysanthea? She'll kill you if you do - Paul knows first-hand. He told me about it." Belle grimaced. Auden stopped dead, yanking Belle to a halt with him. She stumbled and he had to catch her elbow to stop her from falling over.

"Chrystanthea? Really? Her full name is _Chrysanthea_?" He demanded.

"Actually it's Chrysanthea Evangeline Grace. Imagine having that for a name!" Belle giggled.

"You're name is Arabelle Arakataren. It's like double-alliteration and I can't even spell Arakataren if I try!" Auden complained. Belle rolled her eyes.

"I'm rolling my eyes, Auden. Arakaraten is spelled A-R-A-K-" She stated.

"Is that becoming a permanent gag or something?" Auden interrupted as they began heading again in the direction of where Thea and Marley were standing. Belle suppressed a wicked grin.

"Now that you've suggested it, I believe that it should become a bit of a gag, don't you think?" She laughed.

"I hate you." Auden groaned.

"I am well aware of that fact. Many people do. Marley! Thea! MARLEY!" Auden winced away from Belle as she yelled for Marley at the top of her lungs. Her voice carried over the jostling people to where Marley and Thea stood. They whirled to see Belle and Auden descending the steps. Marley sagged with relief and Thea let out a breath she hadn't know she had been holding. As Belle and Auden hurried over, Auden spread his arms.

"Chrysanthea!" He crowed.

"I will kill you!" Thea declared, her eyes blazing. Marley was looking at her with mild amusement and a very triumphant expression. He put his hands on his hips and leaned over towards her.

"Chrysanthea?" He asked incredulously, wiggling his eyebrows.

"Shut up," She growled, "Who told you my full name?"

"It was Belle," Auden informed her helpfully.

"I was told by Paul please don't kill me I'm too young to die!" Belle shrieked, "I'll remind you to kill him when we get back to Camp, but you'll have to get in line. I need to have words with and possibly maim his as well." Marley looked surprised.

"Why?" He inquired.

"He said I was stubborn and irritating. Honestly, it's a long story. What happened to you? Where are Paris and Coal?" Belle stared up at Marley, her eyes wide and tired.

"Wait, wait, wait. We'll get to that in just a moment," Marley said, waving her away. He turned slowly to Thea, a smirk growing on his face, "Chrysanthea?"

"Chrysanthea Evangeline, actually." Auden piped up.

"This day suddenly got ten times better." Marley pumped one fist in the air. Thea was giving him a very murderous glare that made Belle suspect they might lose their quest leader very, very soon. When Marley settled down slightly, Thea rolled her eyes.

"This is why I don't tell people. Imagine if your idiot father named you Chrysanthea." She grumbled.

"It wasn't Mrs. Grace?" Belle asked. Thea grimly shook her head.

"Mom was all for naming me something nice, plain and simple. She considered Abigail. I like Abigail. I would have been happy with Abigail. But _no._ I get Chrysanthea. And not just Chrysanthea, Chrysanthea _Evangeline!_ What kind of name is that anyway?" In a huff, the blond crossed her arms and glared anywhere but her three companions. Marley turned to Auden and Belle.

"We thought Paris and Coal would be here. Coal tripped and hit her head on the curb, and we think she has a concussion…" Marley told Belle and Auden the whole tale, while Thea jumped in for certain snarky remarks about how Paris and Coal had vanished. But she did grudgingly listen while Auden and Belle detailed what had happened to them. Marley and Thea seemed very surprised at the appearance of Delphyne and Python, and Thea went as so far as to look concerned about all of the cuts and bruises the two of them had sustained. While she and Marley were fussing over them, Belle nudged Auden.

"They're acting like worried parents," She whispered to him. Auden couldn't suppress a grin. Although he couldn't see them, he had to admit, Belle was right.

"What was that?" Marley asked.

"Nothing." Belle said innocently, blinking her wide eyes several times. She wished she and Auden could exchange glances at that point, because she would have shot him a very meaningful look.

The next fifteen minutes was spent spreading out and looking for the other questers. In the end, Jamie and Zari found Marley and the rest. It was all because Zari had accidentally bumped into a tall business man and it had thrown her off balance. When she had landed, she had ended up looking directly at Thea.

The six of them regrouped, still on the lookout for Paris and Coal.

"What happened to you?" Marley asked. Both Zari and Jamie were sporting multiple thin cuts along their faces and arms.

"Killer pigeons. They're really common this time of year," Jamie muttered darkly. Zari explained about how the Stymphalian Birds while Belle found some ambrosia in one of the backpacks to pass around to everyone. After a bite of ambrosia, all of them looked a lot better, though their clothes were still a blood-stained and a little worse for wear. Some of the passing businessmen and businesswomen were shooting them odd looks as they skirted around them.

When Zari finished the tale of catching the subway to the Rockefeller Center, she slumped, exhausted.

"We need to find Paris and Coal." Jamie finally stated after a lapse of silence. The other five nodded in agreement.

"We should split up again and search the plaza. With five of us looking, it should go fairly quickly. We'll find them in no time at all," Marley instructed. Auden cleared him throat.

"What am I supposed to do?" He asked, clearly uncomfortable that he couldn't look for Paris and Coal. Marley tossed his shoulders.

"Wait here, I suppose. Don't get killed in the meantime?" He suggested. Auden flopped down on the cement and crossed his arms in a knot. He'd never felt so self-conscious about being blind. In this kind of situation, with the voices of hundreds of people pounding unrelentingly on his ear drums and no sight, he felt so utterly useless. Zari put her hand gently on his bicep.

"We'll be back soon, and then we can find a place where we're able to get some rest. Sound good?" She beamed down at him, knowing full well he would not be comforted by the smile.

Belle rolled her eyes and gagged. Jamie snorted.

They fanned out across the plaza, all heading in different directions, while Auden waited, sitting on the sidewalk and glaring at a crack that he couldn't see. Being blind wasn't _that_ much of a disadvantage when it came to most things. He'd learned to adjust, do things without having to see them, rely heavily on his other senses, but now he felt a bit like a burden on the team.

 _That's not true,_ a voice said in his head, _You're valuable. Besides, you made a promise to Belle – watch her back until you get back to camp, and she'll watch yours._

Meanwhile, as Auden was grumbling to himself internally, Jamie was up on the platform, looking down at the numerous tables that obscured the plaza below. People were filing in and sitting at them, ordering meals from men and women in black suits and red neckties. He nervously ran his fingers through his hair, scanning wildly around for Paris or Coal. Mainly Paris, to be perfectly honest. Did that make him a horrible person? He didn't think so…

It was a relief when he finally caught sight of Paris. Her short, spikey hair and thinner shouldered stature was easily spotted among the business people talking in loud drawls all around them. Everyone kept looking at her, moving on and then doing a double-take on her eyes. Her glittery, multicolored irises attracted quite a bit of unwanted attention. Jamie could see her tugging her fringe of hair over her eyes. It always hung down over one eye, but now she seemed to want to shield her face entirely. Jamie couldn't exactly blame her. He wouldn't want weird looks either.

Coal sat at a table a few feet away, her dark hair blending in with the dark-suited people around her. She looked physically okay, but she rested her head in her hands like she had a headache.

Jamie rushed over in Paris's direction, pushing a stout man with greying hair carrying a briefcase out of the way as he went. The man started muttering about 'disrespectful kids these days,' but Jamie ignored him.

Paris turned around and caught sight of him. Her face practically glowed when she saw him. She broke into a jog and rushed over to him, and in that moment, Jamie was sure that she was literally the most adorable person on the planet.

"Jamie!" She cried. She pressed her hands over her mouth, her multicolored eyes wide. She reached out and grabbed his arm (sending sparks of electricity up his shoulder) as if she was testing if he was real. At the table, Coal looked up, blinking blearily.

"Who is it?" She slurred.

"Jamie," Paris called over her shoulder. Then she did something that made Jamie's face go as red as a tomato. He hoped no one was paying too close attention. She threw her arms around his neck. He stumbled back a little. He and Paris had talked a couple of times, but he hadn't realized they were close enough friends to move into the hugging stage. Uncertainly, he wrapped his arms around her waist, giving her a squeeze. He let her go after a second, hoping the blush had faded.

Geez, he needed to get better at hiding his feelings. Not that Paris seemed to notice.

She was oblivious.

.o0O0o.

The motel was a dingy-looking one, but at least it was cheap. Once all eight of the demigods had regrouped (Paris had whistled for them all very loudly – something that Jamie had had no idea she could do), they had wandered down the street to the nearest bus stop. Coal, who it turned out was not dyslexic, read one of the provided bus-route pamphlets while Paris fussed over her head, fishing through the bag that Thea and Marley had brought.

Finally, after about half an hour of waiting, Coal determined which bus they needed to catch in order to start moving out of town. She wasn't sure what they would do after that, but they needed to find a cheap hotel where they could get two rooms for a relatively low price. They found it at a rundown Motel 6 just off the highway.

Hoping off the bus, Marley in the lead, they crossed the deserted road and walked into the lobby. It was the type of motel where you accessed all the rooms from the outside, which was never a good sign. But seeing as all the questers were exhausted by their long day, no one complained when the lady behind a desk (whose name was Vikki and who talked with such a thick New Jersey accent it was almost impossible to understand) handed them their key cards and told them their room number.

Belle dropped into the girls' room, flopping facedown onto the bed. Marley watched her from the doorway.

"You should get her to take ambrosia before you sleep," he instructed Thea. She stood next to him, leaning against the wall with her arms crossed. Her eyes flickered in the dim fluorescent lighting of the room.

"Yeah. I'll have everyone take some. At this rate, we'll be out before this quest is half done." She answered.

"What else can we do? Mortal medicine won't get them in fighting shape by tomorrow. Who knows what we're going to be facing as we try to find Vera." He reminded her. Thea's lips thinned and she hunched up her shoulders.

"I know," was all she said. There was a pause in conversation. The only sound was Paris, Coal and Zari in the bathroom, trying to administer to Coal's concussion. Zari had gone to help because she wanted to learn more about being a medic. Although she felt like that wasn't her calling as a demigod, she still though it was a useful skill to have, especially if they got in a tight jam and Paris wasn't around. The distant rumble of the highway echoed across the parking lot. For the first time, Marley seemed to come to terms with how isolated from Camp he felt. He only had his questers, and they were beat up, bruised and battered. They were in no shape to go running around the next day, looking for his sister.

But they couldn't wait either.

"Why did you call me Nox-Spawn earlier?" Marley asked suddenly. It had completely slipped his mind until now, but now that he remembered it, he wanted to know why. It was so unlike Thea to say something like that. She shook her head, at a loss for words.

"I don't know what came over me. It was like the words… weren't my own," She looked down at her palms as if taking in that she was still in control of her own hands, "That's the second time today that something like that has happened, and I'm – I'm – I'm afraid that it might not be the last. I have no idea what's happening to me, but I feel… compelled to do certain things. I can't explain it." Thea looked away, confusion evident in her expression.

" _Chrysanthea-"_ Marley began.

"Are you trying to be killed?" Thea growled. He laughed. It felt good to laugh. It felt like the world was slowly pulling itself back together again after a long, disastrous day.

"No. I was just… I don't know what's happening inside your head, Thea, but I need to know I can at least trust you." Marley told her. He needed to know that he could rely on her to help get him through this quest. He needed to know that Thea wouldn't pull another stunt like she had at the Central Park Zoo today. He needed to know she was trustworthy, something that he was very much doubting at the current moment. If Thea hadn't released the killer chicken-horses, they could have happily gone on their way and continued to figure out where Vera was. They wouldn't have wasted valuable time! But they had, and it was Chrysanthea Grace's fault. Marley wasn't sure to be angry with her or just confused. She wouldn't purposely sabotage the quest, would she? He wanted to believe in her, but at the moment, he found himself hesitating. Thea continued to stare at her hands miserably.

"I don't know if I can even trust myself," She murmured. There was the slightest break in her voice that made Marley's anger crack in to and crumble away. She hugged herself, bending her shoulders and not meeting his eyes. With that, Marley did something that surprised even himself – he pulled Thea into a tight hug.

The truth was, Marley had never really hugged a girl other than his sister or his mother. Okay, so he had once, when he'd had a girlfriend about a year ago, but they had broken it off pretty soon after they had first kissed. She was more interested in fighting monsters than she was in having a friendship (or a relationship). Marley hadn't been able to deal with it. Ever since then, he'd only really hugged Vera (which she had loudly protested to most of the time).

Thea seemed just as surprised at the movement as Marley. She a second, she remained stiff and upright, and then tentatively she hugged him back, eventually squeezing him so tightly that it was hard to breath.

It was a long moment before he felt her shoulders shake once… twice… three times… he felt hot tears against the side of his neck. Thea Grace was crying, a concept that seemed so foreign to him that he couldn't wrap his head around the fact. He patted her awkwardly on the back. He hated to see people upset or sad. It bothered him so much, but it didn't inherently mean that he knew exactly how to deal with someone when they cried, especially when that someone was Thea Grace.

Afraid she was going to pull away and break his nose or something equally painful, he shifted his hand up to stroke her hair. It was a tangled mess from the day's events. Her ponytail was a blonde rat's nest, her scalp slightly sunburned and complete with a large cowlick.

With a shaky breath, Thea said, "I don't know why I can't control my own actions. I can't control my own body and that scares me to death. I don't want to endanger the quest. Maybe you should-"

"We're not leaving you behind," Marley mumbled in her ear. He felt her smile through the tears, and smiled himself. Across the room, he could hear Belle's soft, purring, catlike snores. She was fast asleep.

Thea pulled away, wiping at her eyes furiously. They were ringed with red from the tears, but Marley pretended not to notice, something that Thea seemed grateful about. She shot him a watery smile.

"Thanks, I really needed that. People don't hug me anymore really. That was Wendy's job, and now that she's gone… I almost want to join the Hunters of Artemis just… just so I can have my sister back. Not that I regret helping her join or anything. I just miss her." Thea looked anywhere but Marley. Said boy smiled back at her, taking several deep breaths. The sun was setting. He could feel the night closing in, and he felt rejuvenated by the darkness. The air had cooled considerably, making it bearable to walk around outside.

"Let's go for a walk. I saw an Olive Garden a block away. These chaps could really use some food." Marley stated. Thea raised an eyebrow.

"Chaps?" she asked.

"Uuuugh," Marley groaned, rubbing at his face, "Oh no. Belle's rubbing off on me." Thea smirked, looking much more like herself.

After checking with Auden and Jamie, who were sitting in the other motel room playing Rock, Paper Scissors (Jamie was winning almost every time by waiting to choose his sign until Auden had done his), Marley and Thea started across the nearly deserted parking lot.

"What type of a name is Chrysanthea anyway?" Marley questioned, a philosophical frown on his face. Thea bumped his shoulder lightly with her own.

"I know! That's what I've been telling my parents for _years._ And Wendy gets all the luck. Her full name is Gwendoline, so I suppose that's tolerable. And then Mom named Jett and June. Although Dad had a say in June's name – he wanted to honor Juno. But who comes up with Chrysanthea?!" And for the first time in a while, Thea laughed a genuine laugh.

 _Yep,_ Marley thought, _The world is definitely pulling itself back together._

 **A Couple Notes on the Chapter**

 **I realized after rereading this how much of a romantic tilt Thea and Marley's interactions were in this chapter. That was not my intention, I swear! I have considered making them a canon pairing in recent weeks, but I feel like they're not very shippable (at least until their older), seeing as Marley is three years older than Thea. I don't know, these are the random musings I've been working with on their friendship. This chapter was also really Marley/Thea centered, which was not my original intention with this chapter, but it sort of worked out nicely.**

 **I also came the sudden realization that Auden and Belle could be interpreted as romantic (Especially their interactions in this chapter). I think I should probably say that they wouldn't be a thing unless enough people shipped them. Belle's canon love interest hasn't gotten much screen time yet (and you don't really see them interact a lot until the next phase of the story), and Auden has the whole Cecil thing to work out. I feel as though the main ship, if there is any, would be Paris and Jamie. I know they haven't gotten much interaction yet, but never fear! IT IS COMING! Eventually. I feel as though all the relationships need to be natural and not forced. So… that's what I have to say about romance for now. There is certainly an element of romance in this story, yes, but that isn't the main focus. The main focus is the classic story of good vs. evil and how the sides play out. It's also about Belle's journey from girl to woman, and how she struggles with that. This particular phase of the story (meaning this quest) also definitely has some focus on Marley and his interactions with everyone. Since he's the quest leader, I think he needs quite a bit of screen time.**

 **You also get Thea's real name this chapter. The dreaded Chrysanthea! Now you know why Thea seemed so set on not telling anyone what he name was. Who names their kid Chrysanthea anyway? You also learn Wendy's full name, Gwendoline. But she very much prefers Wendy.**

 **There is more foreshadowing as to what's happening with Thea in this chapter to. I feel like she's also a bit of the focus, making Belle, Marley and Thea the** _ **main**_ **three I want to develop (don't worry, the other characters will be developed too. I hope to get some Paris/Jamie screen time soon, and some Zari and Coal friendship bonding too). Thea has a really interesting story that I like playing with, because, although both her parents love her, she doesn't have the perfect family life. Frankly, Wendy joining the Hunters of Artemis caused a lot of discord in her family, making it hard for her family to be together for long periods of time. That's why Thea spends a lot of time wandering New Rome, and June and Jett train a lot with "Aunt Reyna".**

 **Never play Rock, Paper, Scissors with Jamie. Not only is he really good at it, if you're blind (cough, Auden, cough), he might (or might** _ **not**_ **) have the temptation to cheat.**

 **Growing up, Thea always wanted to be named Abigail. She thought it was simple and common enough that people wouldn't give her weird looks when she introduced herself. Going to a regular school was a pain when she was little because people would tease her about having a long name. The only good thing about having a long name? Nothing rhymes with Chrysanthea!**

 **This chapter was a long time coming, I know, and I'm sorry about that. I've just been having a really rough time lately, and I've had writer's block. It was really hard at the start of this chapter, but once I got back into it, it got easier. Once again, I'm sorry for making you all wait. Also, I realize this is a bit of a filler chapter, and I apologize for that too. Hopefully the next few will come quicker and be better. Things might seem disjointed, because I wrote this chapter at different times through the last few months, so sorry about that.**

 **And I know I promised next we would get some David and Emily in this chapter, but I had to postpone their interactions because I was having such a hard time writing them. I had to scratch several, rather nonsensical drafts. Maybe next chapter or the chapter after that.**

 **Thanks again, everyone who waited!**

 **PR**


	15. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

In Which Plans are Made and Dreams are Had

 _Honestly, I must admit to pure exhaustion and an extreme craving for pizza. Don't you dare judge me, I've had a very stressful day and sometimes I just feel like pizza. Come on, tell me that that has never happened to you?! Anywho, now what we are in desperate need of is a plan. A really, really good plan._

An hour later, the eight questers were gathered in the boys' motel room (Which looked exactly like the girls, except everything was facing the opposite direction). They were all munching down on their choice of the food that Marley and Thea had brought back from Olive Garden. Paris and Jamie were sitting next to each other eating pasta and talking about mythology and Ancient Greek. Paris would occasionally switch and start talking in Greek, to which Coal would jump into their conversation. Thea had forgotten Belle was paleo, and Marley hadn't known, so Belle was busy gobbling up one of the small salads they had brought back while shooting the blond Grace resentful looks. Auden, Coal and Zari each ate breadsticks, while Thea and Marley shared the small to-go container of ravioli they had gotten.

"So," Marley said loudly once they had all finished eating greedily and now were taking bites at a slower rate, "I was thinking, we need a plan."

"We have a plan, don't we? Get beat up multiple times." Jamie interjected.

"Not helping!" Marley shot back, rubbing his temples. Thea shot him a sympathetic smile, which he didn't see because he was too busy glaring at Marley. His exposed forearm displayed his SPQR tattoo for everyone to see. Six lines and a dark bird, wings spread above the lines. Jamie glanced down at his own. The words SPQR had been blazed into his skin, with two lines underneath and a winged wreath surrounding inverted torches above – the symbol of Thanatos. When he had first gotten the tattoo, he had expected to get a skull and crossbones on his arm or something.

"He's right, you know. Guys, let's focus," Thea instructed, "We only have a fortnight."

"I thought we had unlimited time to look for her!" Zari exclaimed, looking panicked, "What happens if we don't find her in time?" The grim set in Marley's jaw said it all.

"She dies," He said softly.

"Then failure is not an option. We need to know where to look," Zari cried in dismay, "Belle, you mentioned something about the Underworld…" Belle flushed in embarrassment, looking down at her salad. Was she the only one who heard the condescending tone in Zari's voice? Or maybe it was her imagination, because no one else reacted.

"I thought we ruled the Underworld out as being too obvious." Coal said. Belle took a deep breath and then explained about the dream that she'd had after fighting Delphyne and Python. Marley looked surprised when she brought it all back to a conclusion, his face a little pink.

"I suppose… that makes sense. Besides, it's the best place we can look, isn't it? We need to start somewhere. The question is now, how do we get into the Underworld?" He leaned back against the desk that the television was resting on, a frown creating a crease between his eyes.

"I think you guys are forgetting one thing – the Underworld is _huge,_ " Auden pointed out, "Nico told me all about it. Even if we manage to get in, what's to stop us from getting lost or dying a grizzly death at the hands of monsters?"

"The Underworld being big shouldn't be problem, should it?" It was Coal. She was looking at her hands with a small frown on her face, matching Marley's expression, "Chiron said I was a child of Hades. Only they have the ability to Shadow Travel. Doesn't Hades rule over the Underworld?"

"Yep," Belle said between bites of salad.

"Then we can just ask him for help." Coal suggested. Thea and Marley exchanged looks, but it was Paris who spoke, her voice gentle.

"Hades isn't what you'd call the king of niceness. He doesn't like demigods. He's taken his fair share of tries attempting to kill Percy Jackson." At the sound of the name Jackson, Belle stiffened.

"Paris is right," she said, "Paul has told me all about how Hades has tried to kill his dad in the past. We go into Hades' castle and there's no coming out. Not even for a Daughter of Hades."

"Then maybe I can help navigate," Coal said fiercely, "I have to have some innate sense of where things are down there, it's in my nature!"

"So let's assume Coal can navigate. Maybe Auden can help too, since Nico has told him a bit about what it's like there," Marley intercepted the conversation, steering it back in the direction he wanted to it go, "That still doesn't solve one of the biggest problems we have. Actually, there's two of them – one: how do we get in and two: we have no idea where Vera is down there. She could be anywhere!" He exclaimed. Zari gnawed her lip thoughtfully.

"I've heard Mr. Di Angelo talk about secret entrances to the Underworld… like back alleyways. We just need to get underground to look for it. What about Cobble Hill Tunnel?" She questioned.

"Cobble Hill Tunnel?" Jamie asked. He too was frowning now.

"Yeah. It was used by terrorists and criminals to transport contraband items such as whisky in the 19th century. It should be near here, actually," Zari explained. When everyone's eyes became trained on her, she shrugged modestly, "What? My dad has taken me to New York a couple of times to see the attractions."

"Oh, how I wish one of us was a Zhang," Thea moaned, "Then they could probably find the exit to the Underworld with ease from someplace underground."

"None of us are though!" Marley cried a little too quickly. Thea turned to him with a raised eyebrow and he could literally feel the heat rising on his face. He and his ex-girlfriend had ended mostly on mutual agreement, but that hadn't stopped them from being on bad terms for a spell. Even now that they'd gotten over it, Marley did not have an intense desire to come face to face with his ex anytime soon, especially on such an important mission. His sister's life was at stake for Tartarus's sake!

"But we could still call them," Thea said with glee, making Marley wonder if she knew how much the idea bothered him, "They're at Camp Half Blood right now. If Paris Iris Messaged them…"

" _No._ Only as a last resort," Marley said icily, who was in no hurry to see _her_ again.

"It's not like we have any other options." Thea reminded him. Marley groaned. She _was_ right, but that didn't make him any more pleased about the fact.

"Okay, fine. Iris Message them before we go to bed." He snapped. Zari giggled at the displeased expression he wore, he _was_ pulling a very entertaining face.

"Which leaves us with… where could Vera be?" Belle asked, setting down the empty salad container. The group fell silent, unsure of how to answer this question.

"Only the inhabitants of the Underworld _might_ know where the entrance to Amphiaraus's Realm is. Hades, here we come?" Auden left the words open-ended like a question. Jamie grimaced.

"I have a better idea. Why don't we meet with my father?"

.o0O0o.

Paris was dreaming.

She knew it had to be a dream. This had happened years ago, before she'd known she was a demigod, hadn't it?

 _Why do I have to relive this? Don't make me relive this! Please!_ Paris begged in her mind. But no one seemed to hear her. She was going to have to go through this again, just like she had for years after the accident.

Choking, suffocating smoke rose up from the wooden walls of the house, trying to strangle the breath from her lungs. The roaring. The heat. The light. Maddox stood in the center of the room, looking around wildly, his unseeing eyes flashing in the brightly burning flames. Paris ran towards him, leaping over the wall of fire that had just erupted between them seconds before.

But she missed a step, her foot catching on a loose floorboard that was covered in black scorch marks.

She stumbled and fell on her hands and knees, her palms pressed into the scorching floor.

Hacking and coughing, she pulled her hands away from the floor, cradling them to her chest. Red hot burns were already starting to show across her skin. She looked up again. Smoke had made the room hazy, but she could still see Maddox.

And then there was the heat.

The heat was unbearable.

Intense, white hot heat like she was standing in the middle of a sun.

An inferno blazed around Paris, noxious clouds of smoke clogging her nose, mouth and throat. She tried to yell for Maddox, but her voice was little more than a squeak against the fire's malicious roar. The house was the tinder on which Paris and Maddox were supposed to burn.

She fought forward towards her brother. She was not leaving him here. Either they would both get out of this house, or neither of them would. She would _not_ lose Maddox. Never.

Fierce fire leapt from wall to wall, blazing across the wood and melting off the paint. The once dark room was now illuminated by the hissing and spitting flames. Smoldering embers, remnants of what had once been a rug, a table, a kitchen counter had now been licked away by the blistering warmth.

"MADDOX!" Paris coughed, stumbling forward again. She pulled the edge of her shirt up over her nose and mouth in an attempt to filter out the smoke but it did little to help. Her eyes stung, tears traced lines across her soot-stained cheeks.

"PARIS!" The shout was faint. She could barely see him now, through the flames.

She stumbled and leaped forward again, and then reeled back. One of the wooden ceiling beams had caved in, crashing down between her and her brother.

" _MADDOX!_ " Her cry was desperate now. She fought her way forward past the beam and then she saw him, standing there, peering around and trying to listen for the sound of her voice again. " _MADDOX!_ " She screamed. She could hear the groan of the ceiling above her, the sounds of the beams and boards cracking. She glanced back the way she had come. The hallway wasn't quite scorched yet. Maybe if she could drag Maddox out in time…

Her hands fisted the material of his t-shirt, pulling her towards him. His arms pulled her into the briefest of hugs.

"There you are, Paris," he said, his voice almost lost against the sound of the fire. Paris couldn't help but smile as she dragged him, coughing, towards the hall.

"You're going to have to leap forward," she choked out as they came to the boiling wall of flame. The tongues of sizzling fire lashed around in a complicated dance, as if maliciously trying to stop Paris and Maddox's from escaping. Paris gripped her brother's hand tightly, "Ready?" She gasped.

"Ready." He wheezed, a smile on his face. She waved her burnt hand through the smoky haze in front of her. Her could barely see now, her eyes hurt so badly. Maddox's were squeezed his shut, not that it affected how he could move and run. He squeezed her hand, and then she jumped. Maddox jumped right beside her, his feet connecting with the ground and fraction before hers. She stumbled and fell. The ceiling moaned and splintered, raining bits of glowing embers down on them. Paris waved them away from her face madly, but she felt white hot pain – hotter than the fire she was in – down the left side of her face. Unbearable though it was to open her left eye, she continued to tug at her brother's hand. They were mere feet from the hallway, from their escape.

Paris could hear distant sirens now, wailing their eerie tune out to the world as they charged to the rescue. But the house was gone, they wouldn't get her in time.

Maddox lost his grip on her hand. Hacking, he turned around and around wildly.

"Paris? Paris!" He screeched, his voice raspy and uneven.

"Here!" Paris yelled back from the floor. Sparks shot past her, landing on her tattered clothes and in her hair. Her nostrils felt so clogged she was certain she was breathing through a very smoky pillow. She lunged and grabbed Maddox's hand again, he smiled with relief when they were holding hands again. He had a life line to get him out of the fire.

The sound of breaking wood shattered through the moment. Maddox's heightened hearing must've picked it up and processed it a fraction before Paris. Moments before she realized what was happening, Maddox pushed her. She stumbled backwards, falling again into the hallway as the ceiling crashed down on top of a still smiling-in-relief Maddox Arod.

The fire ravaged the house, turning everything to charcoal and ash, wiping away any trace that a twin boy and girl had ever lived there. In some strange way, fire was like water, Paris considered. It washed away the past, carrying away bitter memories on copious clouds of black smoke. The fire had cleaned away all the tears shed in the past, but they had also carried away the one spark of hope that had burned in Paris's chest. It had taken Maddox.

She sat in the back of an ambulance, a mask over her mouth and nose, watching the embers – what remained of her childhood home. The flames had died, and they had taken Maddox with them.

Firemen skirted the perimeter, looking for anyone else who might have survived the fire, but there hadn't been anyone else in the house when the fire had started. Nurses and medical personnel hurried around her, getting the ambulance ready to transport.

Paris breathed deeply through the oxygen mask, her throat slowly clearing of the noxious coating the smoke had given it. She was able to breathe again more regularly. Her right eye was still wide with shock, her left unable to open.

Maddox was gone.

Maddox, her hope and her laughter, was gone.

It felt as though she had missed a step going down the stairs and was quite suddenly and unexpectedly falling down those very same steps. She felt as though the world had drained of color, everything becoming a bleached grey. It didn't seem real. It couldn't be real.

He couldn't be _gone._

He was Maddox, he was always around. He had always been there for her, never looking for his own gain. He had always told Paris he would never leave her.

Paris felt her throat choking, and she burst into fits of coughing. A nurse sat down next to her, rubbing her back forcefully until she stopped. She turned to look at the woman.

The woman had grim, hard grey eyes and olive toned skin, her scarlet lips thin and drawn across her cheeks. Her chin was jutting and sharp and her eyebrows had an unpleasant, skeptical slant to them. Her black hair was tied in a tight knot, and Paris perceived a silvery grey streak of hair tied into the bun. She looked like someone's maiden schoolteacher aunt, not a nurse.

"How does it feel?" She asked. Paris opened her mouth to answer that her throat was feeling much better than it was, although still horrid, but the woman continued to speak, "To lose someone you love to such a brutal death? How does it feel to suffer? My sisters and I take an… academic interest in such things."

Shocked and more than a little disgusted, Paris leaned away from the woman looking around wildly. Every other medical staff seemed not to notice this strange looking woman, "I'm not telling you," She rasped, her voice cracking.

"I think you will. They always tell me in the end. It is my domain," The woman purred, "Mmm, such demises bring warmth to my blackened heart. I forget how good it feels to spread _destruction._ "

Paris gaped at the woman in horror, "Get away from me, you maniac! I just lost my brother and you're making a game out of this! I don't even know you!" She exclaimed.

" _Au contraire_ , Paris," The woman's voice was no more than the merest whisper, "My sisters and I have followed you very closely. I am in your past, and I am in your future. I am destruction. Or at least… a personification of it." A wicked smile formed across those too-thin blood red lips. Paris made to run away, but the woman clamped her hand onto Paris's thin, spindly shoulder, pushing her back down into a sitting position.

"I'm _hurt._ You would run from me as if you were a small child and I were a monster," The woman let out a bark of laughter, "Of course, I am a monster, aren't I? My sisters and I are monsters, rotten to the core, waiting in your closet and under your bed, waiting for the right moment to reach out and grab you!" The woman's free hand grabbed a fistful of Paris's hair, yanking her head backwards. Paris cried out in pain, her eyes smarting with tears.

"Let me go!" Paris yelled. She felt the woman's icy fingers close around her feverish throat. The woman's hand began to squeeze. Fearfully, Paris scanned the surroundings. Still, no one seemed to see that Paris was being strangled.

"Oh, not yet. Or ever, for that matter. Don't you see Paris? This nightmare is your destruction. You will never tell anyone of what happened today, and it will destroy you from the inside. Smiles, butterflies and rainbows can never hide what horrors lurk in your past and future, as much as you will try to believe it," growled the woman, "And I will watch your destruction with curiosity, observing every moment of it, because I love to watch the destruction that I can cause," she went on, her hand constricting around Paris's neck, "I find the best way to destroy someone is to sow the seeds before they even begin to understand what role they will play in the grand scheme. I look forward to watching you _burn._ "

"Who – are – you?" Paris managed to gasp. The oxygen mask had fallen off her face and now lay abandoned on the ground.

"They call me Ker. I am one of the Keres, one of the monsters of Greek Myth. One of the monsters from your nightmares." Ker hissed.

"Why – not – kill – me – now?" Paris choked.

"Like I said, I'd rather watch your destruction. Quick deaths are more my sister Anaplekte's area of expertise. And when there's nothing left after I destroy you, when you beg for death, then I will oblige those wishes. Only then. And I should warn you now, it will be painful. But now..." Ker smiled, revealing sharp, pointed teeth, "Let us vanish." The world around Paris and Ker dissolved into dark, smoke-like mist, reforming into green hillside somewhere cold and wet. Ker released Paris, who dropped to the ground gasping for air. Ker smiled.

"Welcome to San Francisco Paris Arod. It's time you meet your mother." Ker dissolved again into the black mist, washed away by the chilly winter breeze. Still covered in soot, smelling like smoke, with burnt hands, a scarred eye and having trouble breathing, Paris looked up the muddy slope to where a dilapidated, hippie-looking store sat with a large sign that read: _Rainbow Organic Foods & Lifestyles. _

As the world began to fade to black, and as Paris keeled over face first into the muddy grass, she saw a woman with frizzy hair rushing towards her and then nothing… nothing… nothing…

Paris awoke in a cold sweat, her heart pounding in the vicinity of her throat.

That had been _years_ ago.

She was safe now. Or at least, there was a semblance of safety.

Paris was lying on her back in the small motel room bed. She and Belle were sharing, as were Coal and Thea. Zari had heroically volunteered to sleep on the floor, where she now slept soundly with a spare pillow that Thea had thrown at her. It was too hot for blankets, so that wasn't a concern.

Paris pushed the thin sheet she had over her chest off and slipped out of bed. She needed to get a whiff of fresh air, she needed to think.

It had been months since she had last had that nightmare. Always the same, always so vivid it felt as if she was relieving that awful day. The day Maddox died.

The day she became afraid of fire.

Nimbly dodging around Zari on the floor, Paris pocketed one of the key cards and slid out the door into the fresh night air. The Motel 6 sign was blinking on and off ominously, and the distance rumble of the highway had faded into the occasional whoosh as a car passed by. She could see the pinpricks that were vehicle headlights starkly illuminating the night.

She had never told anyone about her meeting with Ker, the Keres. She had never told anyone about Maddox either. That was a secret that she kept deep in her heart. She didn't need everyone telling her what a poor child she was. She didn't need their sympathy or the fact that they just had to look at where the ember had burned her eye and turned her half blind.

Automatically, her hand shifted up to the left side of her face, the side that her hair always covered. Though most of the scaring around the eye had healed, she could still feel the uneven, bumpy area around her eyelid. She swallowed, wetting her dry throat.

That had been the day when she had met her mother, Iris, and Iris's hippie assistant, Fleecy. Iris had been happy to nurse Paris back to health, which took only a few days, and explain all about her godly heritage. Of course, after a week, Paris had been worried about her father and if he wondered where she was. Odds were, he didn't, she had thought viciously. He had never given too much heed to what Paris and Maddox did when Maddox had been alive. She also wondered about the paramedics, what they had thought happened to her…

In a daze, lost in reverie, Paris didn't hear the gentle click that indicated a door had been open. She only realized that someone had joined her when he spoke.

"Beautiful night," Jamie said, giving her a sidelong look. It was true. The few stars that could be seen in the sky due to New York's light pollution winked merrily, creating tiny dots on the velvety ink that was the heavens. The crescent moon glowed brightly, as if smiling down on everything below it. A cool breeze blew against their faces, rustling their hair. Jamie ran his fingers through his, making it stick up.

"Yeah," Paris agreed, chewing her lip thoughtfully.

They lapsed into a temporary silence, enjoying each other's company. It felt a little less lonely to have someone next to them, shoulders almost brushing together.

"Couldn't sleep?" Jamie asked. Tentatively, Paris nodded, "Me either. I keep thinking over and over again about how many times we could have died today. How much destruction we caused. How many problems we have created for the NYPD. For the life of me, I can't get to sleep. What about you?"

"Nightmare," Paris said honestly, scuffing her bare foot against the cement and not meeting his eyes. She knew that if she looked at his beautiful hazelly-gold eyes, she would start obsessing over them again, especially the way that the moon and stars reflected off of them and how he looked at night. It was obviously a color thing. She loved her colors. She must've inherited it from her mother.

"About?" Jamie prodded. She looked at his forehead, trying not to look him in the eye.

"S-something… something that happened a long time ago. When I was younger, and innocent." She blanched at how awkward that sounded. Jamie cracked a smile.

"You're still innocent. You're one of the most innocent, adorable, sweet people I've ever known. It's one of the things I really like about you." He stated. Paris felt the heat rising in her cheeks, embarrassed by the compliment. Meanwhile, Jamie was inwardly berating himself: _Why, you idiot, did you say that out loud? Why can't you keep your trap shut when it really matters? Look, now she's probably weirded out and thinks you like her, which of course you do, but that is irrelevant!_ A few moment passed, and when Paris didn't run away, Jamie decided it was safe to speak again.

"Are you going to tell me what it was about?" He questioned. Startled by the blunt question, Paris looked him directly in the eye, twisting her plain silver ring around her finger nervously. He really did have gorgeous eyes. Honey mixed with evergreen and swirled with chocolate brown, blended together in perfect harmony and shining in the moonlight like polished stones. Jamie's eyes were possibly the most stunning eyes that she had ever seen and they left her strangely breathless (although she had no idea why).

"I – well – you see – I –" Paris stuttered. She hunched her shoulders, pulling her arms into _herself. This nightmare is your destruction. You will never tell anyone of what happened today, and it will destroy you from the inside,_ Ker had said. The best way to stop what Ker had said from coming true was to tell someone. Anyone. And Jamie had asked. Hesitating, Paris took a deep breath, "It was about when my brother died."

If Jamie had been drinking water, he would have done a spit take. As it was, he choked on his own saliva. His fabulous and more than a little mesmerizing eyes went wide, "You have a brother?" He exclaimed.

" _Had_ ," Paris corrected, unable to keep an edge of bitterness from creeping into her voice, "When I was twelve, a fire started in my home. My twin, his name was Maddox. I guess he was a demigod too. I… I tried to get us both out of the fire – he was blind – but he saved my life pushing me into the hall when the ceiling caved in on him. He died smiling. I guess that's my consolation."

"Not much of one, is it?" Jamie asked. Paris shook her head.

"Not really. I find comfort in the fact that I think he sacrificed himself for me… Maddox is the reason I'm standing here today. I probably would've been crushed if he hadn't pushed me out of the way. But it doesn't make it hurt any less. Losing someone dear to you is like… like the ultimate loneliness." Paris didn't know how else to put it.

"I'm sorry. I know you've probably heard that a thousand times before-" Jamie started.

"I don't tell people," Paris whispered, "It makes it easier. Makes it less real, I guess. Belle and Silena know that my brother died, they just… don't know how. I have a hard time telling them. I have a hard time telling _anyone._ " She gulped. She looked away from him, staring back out at the New York sky.

"I'm glad you told me. Thank you," Jamie spoke. After another moment of peaceful quiet, Jamie took her hand and gave it a squeeze, uncertain how she was going to react. Paris tilted her head up to smile at him, and though sadness still lurked behind her multicolored eyes, she seemed calmer, more ready for sleep.

"I suppose if I'm making confessions…" Paris paused, unsure what more to tell him. She wasn't ready to talk about Ker. That was something that was only for her heart. No one else needed to be burdened with that. Besides, Paris had never suffered like Ker had predicted. She didn't feel destruction inside. She promised herself that she would tell everyone if she ever started feeling like her heart was being destroyed.

"You don't have to tell me everything," Jamie said releasing her hand. He was glad it was pretty dark, or else she would have seen how red his face was. He had just held Paris Arod's hand. Had he seriously just done that? He was an idiot. A complete fool. At least he was a happy fool. He could feel his heart fluttering in his chest merrily, contented with holding hi crush's hand for just a moment. Paris beamed.

"I know. But I want to tell you this. Maybe someone should know too. Just promise not to scream or anything, okay?" Paris questioned.

"Okay." Jamie replied uncertainly, taking a deep breath.

"You know why I always keep my hair over my eye?" She queried. Jamie shrugged, stumped. He had been wondering about that, but he felt it was a question too awkward to ask ( _"Hey, why do you wear your hair in the hairstyle that you do?"),_ "It's because I have a scar there. When we were trying to escape from the fire, Maddox and I, embers rained on us. One caught me in the face and ever since that day…" Paris wasn't sure why she was telling him this. Something about his eyes made her trust him. She pushed her dark hair out of her blinded eye. Jamie gawked at her for a moment, before recovering and adjusting to what he was seeing in the dim light.

Scar tissue surrounding a multicolored eye – but the eye seemed faded and paler, and if Jamie leaned closer, he could see the rips in the iris.

He gasped.

"You're half blind." He murmured, not aware that he was talking out loud. Paris grinned weakly.

"Yeah. I am. I've never-" But Jamie interrupted her.

"Let me guess, you've never told anyone about this either?" Jamie demanded. He didn't mean for it to come out so forcefully.

"I didn't want to burden anyone," Paris stumbled through the words quickly, feeling as though when said out loud, they sounded like meager excuses, "Belle knows. She saw me putting ambrosia on it when we first met each other. But other than that, I haven't said anything. I was afraid that people would think I was a freak because I was half blind, or that I wasn't pretty-"

"Well I think you still look beau- really pretty." Jamie blurted out, catching himself just in time. He saw Paris turn red. Oh great. If he could see her blush now, she had definitely seen him blush earlier. She looked away from him, covering her mouth with one hand. Her hair fell in front of her eye again, forming a dark curtain hiding the unseeing eyeball beneath.

"Thanks," Paris mumbled.

"Get some rest, Paris. We're going to have a big day tomorrow if today was any indication," Jamie said with a small grin after another moment of peaceful silence had passed.

"You should get some rest too. I might have something in my pack that could knock you right out for a couple of hours." Paris suggested.

"No thanks. I don't do drugs that make me fall asleep. When I got my wisdom teeth pulled, they put me under and I was freaking out the whole time," Jamie smiled, "But thanks for the offer. Maybe you should take some." Paris shook her head rapidly.

"Ah, no. I agree with you. I'd rather sleep lightly then not be aware of my surroundings, ready to go at a moment's notice." Paris looked down at her hands. They weren't scarred from the fire all those years ago like her eye was, but she could remember how they felt when they were burned by the scorching floor. She could remember the feel of smoke in her lungs, and the look on Maddox's face oh so vividly – the look he'd been wearing when he died.

"I feel that so much." Jamie said. With a light laugh, Paris turned and walked back to the girls' motel room door. She paused and looked over her shoulder at Jamie, who still stood rooted to the spot, watching her.

"You shouldn't worry so much about what could have happened," she told him, "It's done. Now all we can do is face the future and get ready for whatever will hit us next. Sleep well, Jamie. Sweet dreams. Oh, and," Her cheeks were now as scarlet as a tomato, her heart thumping happily against her ribs, "Thanks."

 **A Couple of Notes on the Chapter**

 **Paris's ring was mentioned again briefly. I think it's first mentioned in chapter eight or nine, can't remember. Any guesses as to what it means?**

 **Paris's brother's name was Maddox Giovanni Arod. An odd combination of names, but Paris's dad liked it.**

 **Technically, Maddox, being Paris's twin, was a demigod son of Iris too. But he died before he discovered who he truly was. There is also no chance of Paris meeting him again in the Underworld seeing as the books have stated that non-children of Hades become shades, and don't remember their past lives. Which is depressing, yes, especially for me. I really wanted Paris and Maddox to meet, but don't worry, the same development that I had planned for then will happen in a different way.**

 **Paris hides the horrors of the fire and Ker with smiles and happiness. Her mother taught her how to let go of certain things to help her with being happier and more content with life. Although Ker refers to her as trying to fake it, Paris is genuinely happy most of the time. She does worry a little bit about what Ker said though – about destroying her.**

 **All of the questers are glad that their motel doesn't have bedbugs. Thea was very suspicious. She's also a borderline germaphobe so…**

 **Thea's mention of the Zhangs is pretty entertaining to me. Especially since their oldest daughter just so happens to be Marley's ex, something that Thea is oblivious to, but don't worry, once she finds out I'm sure she'll tease Marley mercilessly.**

 **The symbols for the SPQR tattoos are never used in the books, I don't think. I researched common symbols associated with both Jamie and Marley's godly parent, and picked from those.**

 **As I think it says in Belle's profile and in Chapter Two, Belle is paleo, so she got stuck eating salad while everyone else eats pasta very happily. But she is content to eat her salad, so she's happy. Although… she wouldn't mind some gluten-free pizza…**

 **Marley and his ex's relationship is a little like the relationship that one of my friends had – it was a pretty mutual end, but neither really wanted to be around the other afterward, it was just sort of awkward.**

 **We also learn sort of why Paris has a fear of fire in this chapter. So that's exciting.**

 **Oh my glory. Writing this chapter actually made me ship Jamie and Paris (What would they be, Jamaris? I dunno. I think they need a better ship name…). I already sort of shipped them, but not really hard. I was holding off on their romance for a little while, and I sort of downplayed the fact that Jamie has a crush on her. Technically, they weren't supposed to have a lot of "romantic" interaction until a little later, it was just supposed to be friendly, but then I wrote this and it just…** _ **fit.**_ **They're so dorky and kind of adorable. I might have push forward their romance and incorporate elements of it into this phase of the story and the next phase. Who knows? We shall see!**

 **Also, they are on their way to the Underworld! Yay. I'm sure Belle is thrilled about that. So many skeletons for her to deal with… We also get to see them go underground in the next few chapters, looking for an entrance to the Underworld. More adventures await!**

 **We also have some Paris-Backstory in this chapter, which I am really, really glad about. She had sort of an ambiguous backstory and was kind of just… there for the first couple of chapters. Now she's really starting to get her backstory fleshed out. Stuff like what happened to her, what is her family like, what are her fears… Yeah. Belle should also get some of that soon too. Although you already know a bit more about Belle. Thea's fragmented backstory won't be completely woven together for a while to come, but you can get the gist of it.**

 **Thea's family life was an interesting conundrum for me which will be brought up more in depth in later chapters. I feel like Jason and Piper love each other, but they don't have the healthiest relationship since they both have a lot of pressure and responsibility. They're some of the greatest leaders in New Rome, and they put a lot of time and energy into maintaining order in the city, which leaves them with a little less for their kids. Of course, they're trying to remedy that with Jett and June. Wendy running off to join the Hunters (with Thea's help of course) was pretty much their wakeup call that they weren't spending enough time with their kids. Piper supports her children in everything they do and loves them anyway. Jason is a little stricter about things (e.g. No tattoos other than you SPQR tattoo, no weird piercings, and absolutely, without a doubt,** _ **no running off to join the Hunters of Artemis!**_ **) While I realize that Jason and Piper in Heroes of Olympus were some people's OTP, and I recognize that they care for each other very much, odds are that not every single one of the heroes is going to get a fairytale ending where they live happily ever after with the love of their life. It's the real world, and as much as Jason and Piper love each other, they have had some pretty rough times, just like any realistic couple. Frankly, every one of the hero families have had some hard times. Percy and Annabeth are always being pulled every which way. Calypso and Leo have faced some pretty horrible arguments and forgiven each other. Clarisse and Chris are no longer as in love with each other as they were when they first got married (although mutual respect remains, and they do care deeply for each other, it is no longer what one would call** _ **love**_ **). Naturally, Reyna doesn't have a husband. She had a kid with a god, and they were definitely not married. Only Hazel and Frank have a marriage that doesn't have a whole ton of problems (though they still have some, don't get me wrong). It strikes me as Hazel would prioritize her kids as much as possible (seeing as what happened with her own mother, she would want to protect her kids from that as much as possible), and Frank would try to be the best father he could be. He knows his mother and grandmother would never approve of him slacking on the job! Maybe that's just me. This huge, paragraph long rant on the relationships of the original heroes is brought to you by Precious Roses. Have a nice day!**

 **Another thing is that we should get more info about what's happening back at Camp Half Blood soon. The only thing is that it's ending up super disjointed whenever I try to write it, so maybe that'll happen soon, maybe not. There aren't many pressing issues that I have to get to there, so it would just be a character development chapter and some important info about Kendra, Cody and Mia. Oh and there would be more Cecil. I look forward to writing more Cecil. Also, David and Emily. They are** _ **long, long**_ **overdue for some screen time. As are Jourdaine, Amelia and Rhona.**

 **I know this wasn't an action packed chapter – sorry about that. The problem of lack of action should be remedied in the next few chapters, which are (hopefully) coming soon.**

 **As always I appreciate feedback and theories that my readers have. I love to hear that people are enjoying my story, it makes me really happy! Hope this chapter was satisfactory!**

 **PR**


	16. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

In Which Julian Falls Out Of A Tree and Other Things Occur

 _You know, I have very little patience for Zari on long trips. She is very subtly manipulative, and no one seems to recognize it except me. Oh well, I suppose it won't matter in the long run, so long as we rescue Vera. But still – she's very irritating. Vexing, you hear me?!_

It was early in the evening when Julian fell out of a tree. He had been climbing up to get a good vantage point over the game of Capture the Flag that was raging below. As the only son of Aquilion there, he was assigned to a team at random – in this case, the blue team. He was glad it was the blue team though, he looked so much better in blue.

"Can you see anything?" Fred Gallant, probably the most annoying person in Camp Half Blood called up to Julian. Fred had arrived that morning, right after the questers had left. He and the rest of Hecate Cabin (Which at the moment was just Kendra) were fighting on the blue side too. And Luka Rodriguez, who had appointed himself team captain, has assigned Fred to go and scout with Julian. Honestly, Luka was more arrogant than _he_ was, and that was saying something, Julian thought viciously.

He clambered up higher in the tree, shouting back, "No, you idiot. Keep your voice down."

"No thanks," Fred drawled, peering around the foliage below. He could hear the sound of swords clashing together in the distance. He felt slighted at being passed over. He was a powerful son of Hecate, after all. He should've been fighting on the front lines. What an injustice!

Meanwhile, Julian climbed higher in the tree, to where the branches became spindly. Congratulating himself on a clever place to get a vantage point, he supported himself on the uppermost branch, his whole body above the leafy tree foliage that spread out like an ocean before him. The fresh sea breeze ruffled his hair gently. Although he could hear the sounds of a fierce battle for victory and bragging rights going on below, he felt strangely at peace up in the tree.

Ick, he needed to get down from the tree as soon as possible. Peace was not his style. He was much better suited to letting bitterness fester inside of him.

He blamed his mother for that.

She had always felt ever so slightly bitter towards Jason and Piper. " _Of course Piper ended up with Jason_ ," she had once told him, irritation blazing in her eyes. He had found her alone in her room, sitting on her bed with her head in her hands, " _She loved him and he loved her. And I was left in the cold. Why did it matter if I love – loved – him? As long as he had perfect_ Piper, _he was pleased with his life choices. He never gave me a second thought, never gave my loyalty another glance… he led me on, Julian, when he was still Praetor, before Gaea rose. I was convinced, for a while, that he had chosen me. And then Piper came and everything changed. Why shouldn't I be bitter? I have a right to be. Perhaps the old saying is right, love is unrequited._ "

Julian, who had been ten at the time, had asked, " _Did you love my father_?"

Reyna had simply stared at him for a long time, smoothed his eternally messy dark hair and kissed his forehead, " _Your father and I… we had a mutual respect. Neither of us believed in true love anymore. Just another thing to blame Jason Grace for. Oh, how Venus must love laughing at me._ "

So Julian had learned bitterness crept in from even the smallest of injuries. He had no problem with staying bitter towards Jason Grace. After all, the perfect son of Jupiter had broken his mother's heart. She had given him love and he had discarded it as soon as something better had come along.

A voice in the back of his mind often told him that what he thought wasn't the case, but that voice he always pushed out of his head.

He _liked_ being bitter.

He liked being able to blame others.

It stopped him from feeling so hollow sometimes.

From below, Julian heard a female voice shout, jerking him from his thoughts. "JULES!"

He glanced down, and that was when his foot slipped from where it rested precariously on the branch. With a cry of shock, Julian tumbled head over heels down the tree, branches battering him from all sides. With a loud thump and a groan of pain, he landed on the pine-needle strewn floor, bruised, but altogether not seriously injured.

Esmee Valdez knelt next to him, her unruly mane of chocolate curls brushing his face. He swatted the hair away in annoyance.

"What did you go shouting for?" He grumbled, sitting up and nursing a large bruise that was beginning to form on his elbow.

"I thought you had a good grip on the tree and that you weren't going to fall out when I shouted for you," Esmee responded, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes. Julian felt the edge of his nose twitch, something that happened when he was severely vexed.

"I didn't realize you were the expert on my life. Please continue as I take notes, although I would oblige you to pause your advice until I find a notepad. Oh wait… we are in the middle of Capture the Flag!" He shouted. Esmee pursed her lips calmly.

"Ditch the attitude, Jules." She told him. He huffed, rolling his eyes. Instead of talking to her, he turned to look for Fred, who sat at the base of the tree that Julian had just fallen out of, looking bored with his eyes glazed over.

"Why didn't you tell me she was coming?" Julian asked him in a carefully controlled voice.

"I thought I'd be entertaining to see you fall. Beats being stuck here… doing absolutely _nothing_ to help my team. We're going to lose without me on the front lines." He complained.

"Suck it up, Princess," Esmee snarled at him. She turned back to Julian, "Luka wants you off scouting. You're supposed to sneak around and find their Flag from behind. Think you can do that?" She asked.

"Wait, me too?" Fred perked up a bit, looking excited.

"Nope. Just Jules. Well, Maria and Jett will be with you." She said dismissively, her gaze returning once more to Julian. Exhaling slowly, Julian crossed his arms.

"And where are Maria and Jett, _Belleza_?" He growled.

"Right… here!" Maria Zhang panted, stumbling into the clearing with her bow in one hand and a blunt-tipped arrow in the other. She was small and Chinese in appearance, with slanted dark eyes, and Asian complexion and sleek dark hair. Julian honestly thought she was pretty, though totally not his type. She was too nice for him. He doubted that there would be much passion in a romance between them. But he was also a teenaged guy, so he did have an excuse to think about these sorts of things. Jett jogged up behind her, perfect blonde hair and tanned skin, not out of breath at all.

"There you two are. You said you were right behind me," Esmee snapped, looking as annoyed as Julian felt. He had no intention of working with a Grace. He had been displeased when Luka had announced that the two Graces remaining at Camp, June and Jett, would be on the blue team. Now he was expected to cooperate with one? Not likely.

"We – were – until – the – creek!" Maria choked out, bending over and putting her hands on her knees. Jett patted her on the back.

"Sorry you couldn't keep up with all this awesome." He said sympathetically. His SPQR tattoo was clearly visible with seven lines – the number of years he had been properly training. A hybrid picture of the Venus tattoo and the Jupiter tattoo rested above it. Julian looked at his own tattoo. A series of twisting lines and tiny, intricate dots to represent he was the son of Aquilion. He wanted to look anywhere but Jett Grace. Maybe then, no one would see the disgusted look on his face.

"So how are we going around?" Julian asked, "By the edge of the woods or by going closer to where the Council of Cloven Elders meet?"

"Actually, neither," Maria said, finally regaining her breath but clutching all the same at a stitch in her side, "We'll be going underneath."

"Under-what?" Fred Gallant looked shocked. Maria gave him a terse look.

"Under _neath._ Tunnels, remember? Camp Half Blood is riddled with them, Chiron says they're left over from when the Labyrinth was here. I just need to open a hole in the ground, give me a moment," The tip of her tongue poking out the side of her mouth, Maria bent down and placed her hands in the earth. Dirt was caked under her unevenly cut, ragged fingernails. Callouses coated her fingers. Julian rubbed his palms in an absent-minded type of way, feeling his own callouses. Years of training with a sword had toughened his palms up so that they were rough.

"What about me?" Fred drawled, scooting forward and standing up, using the tree behind him as balance, " _I_ want to go too."

Esmee rolled her eyes, "I've already told you your assignment. You are to stay here and keep scouting things. Don't get in the way, Gallant."

"But-"

"Don't push me or else I'll use my failsafe solution." Esmee sneered. Fred gulped and looked away, no longer protesting. Everyone was aware of what Esmee's failsafe solution was – fireball everything that moves, has moved, or looks like it could move, especially aiming for the face. " _It's the only way to be sure,_ " she often said with a bit of a sadistic smile.

Julian meandered over to where Maria knelt, standing by her shoulder and looking at the woods around. It seemed to quiet now, like the distant fighting had died down. They had to move quickly, before they were found here.

In a strange, detached way, he wondered why they were playing Capture the Flag while a quest was in progress. Shouldn't they be helping the questers?

There was a rumbling from below them, and all of a sudden, with a sickening crack, the ground split open to reveal a narrow chute down into the earth. Julian peered into the darkness, and then back up at Maria skeptically.

"I'm not going down there," He said.

"Yes, you are," Esmee snorted, joining him at his shoulder, "Don't worry, it's only for about three hundred yards that way," She pointed through the trees, "You'll be out and with the flag in no time." Jett clambered over to the crack in the ground and stared down it, looking just as skeptical as Julian felt. Esmee rolled her eyes.

"Get over yourselves, boys," She reached into the tool belt that she eternally wore around her waist (It had been a gift from her dad, Leo, who had adapted it from his own tool belt) and drew out a flashlight. Grinning with glee, she pressed it into Julian's hand. Jett glared.

"Why does he get to carry the flashlight?" He whined.

"Why do you have to complain all the time?" Julian countered.

"Oh, touché." Jett muttered. Maria and Esmee exchanged knowing glances. Maria saluted Esmee.

"We'll get the flag, Es," She said and then dropped into the darkness. Jett waved over dramatically in the direction of the hole.

"After you, _Jules._ " Julian glared, flipped on the flashlight and followed Maria down the hole. He dropped into a cool earth tunnel, the walls made from rock. Moss grew in clusters on the walls, thick and matted and probably filled with poisonous Greek beetle-monsters. Julian had come to expect such things from Camp Half Blood. He did not have a very high opinion of the Greeks. Or anyone.

Jett dropped down behind Julian and Maria, landing catlike on the dusty earth. Julian shined his newly acquired flashlight down the tunnel and then glanced at Maria, "After you, _Belleza._ " He motioned down the tunnel with a courteous bow. Resolutely, the petite dark haired girl marched forward, holding her bow at the ready.

"Only a few paces this way." She instructed.

.o0O0o.

A few paces turned out to be several hundred meters. By the time Maria opened a tunnel into the fading daylight, near where the other team's flag was hidden, Julian was becoming slightly claustrophobic. The walls were just so close and he could imagine the hundreds of pounds of earth above him, ready to fall at any moment. The tunnel couldn't be all that stable.

He could tell Jett was uncomfortable too, and took some pleasure in the fact. Underground was not a fun place for a grandson of Jupiter.

Julian flicked off the flashlight and clambered aside, tucking it in his belt. He drew sword and brandished it, looking around for the red flag. He saw it, hanging from a tree, unguarded. But Maria was standing there, not reaching for it, just staring. Chiron stepped from the shadows of the tree near the flag, the light of the setting sun filtering through the trees and glinting off of his sad brown eyes.

"Miss Zhang, come with me. The Quest might need your help."

.o0O0o.

"You want us to go to Manhattan to help you guys?"

The three Zhang sisters were gathered in the main room of the Big House, staring into an Iris Message from Thea. Julian lurked in the corner, looking grumpy and put-out that he had not managed to succeed in capturing the Flag. No one had one, Chiron had called a halt to the game immediately, but Julian, Jett and Maria hadn't heard, being underground and all.

"Yeah. Marley isn't a man enough to ask you himself." Thea grumbled. Frank and Hazel stood off to one side, talking in low voices. Hazel's crazy corkscrew hair stuck out at all different angles like she hadn't taken time to thoroughly brush it in the morning. She had been up the entire night before, it seemed, for huge bags lined the underside of her eyes.

"I am man enough, I just don't want to!" A voice yelled from out of sight. Bianca Zhang leaned forward from where she was perched on the table with her legs crossed. Mixed Chinese/African, golden eyes, curly black hair with lighter brown and auburn highlights, slender, lithe figure, a full, heart-shaped mouth, Bianca was, in short, beautiful. She seemed to be a perfect mix of her parents' good features, which had, frankly, spawned some jealousy between her and Emily. She had one of those ageless faces and a sort of grace that caught your eye when she entered a room.

Although Bianca tended to be a bit vain at times, she was a sweet, nice person. Her parents had always told her that politeness was key, and that kindness would pay off in the end. The months that she had dated Marley had been really great, but they'd come to a mutual agreement.

Marley's sister, Vera, had been bothered about the relationship and Frank hadn't liked Marley. Bianca had been more than a little tired of the ridicule from her family and friends. Maria had laughed and teased the two of them, Emily had joked and sang the kissing song (" _Bianca and Marley, sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G_!") and Frank had suddenly imposed a curfew, something that had never happened in the Zhang household before.

After Marley and Bianca decided to break up, the teasing stopped and the curfew was immediately dissolved. Apparently, Frank could find no further use for it. Even after Maria contemplated dating Uriah Cheadle, a son of Mercury, he hadn't reinstituted the curfew. Only if his girls were officially dating someone, or if he suspected they were. He didn't like the idea of his daughters dating. They were his little girls, and letting a guy walk around and talk to them, laugh with them, even kiss them, that was absolutely out of the question. No arguments.

"So he's not man enough," Thea continued, and ducked off of the image as Marley's fist (distinctly his because of the small scar on his knuckle that Bianca saw flash by) punched at her.

"Fine. I'll do it myself. Whatever. Yeesh, _Chrysanthea_." Marley grumbled appearing in the mist. There was a hiss like an angry cat. Apparently, calling Thea by her full name was not exactly winning Marley any brownie points. She tackled him from behind the next minute, wrapping her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist. He stumbled, almost waving his hand through the Iris Message but stopping his arm just in time. Thea was cackling the entire time.

"I think they need sleep," Emily said philosophically, "They seem a little…"

"Insane? Mentally unstable?" Bianca asked with a raised eyebrow.

"I was going to say delirious, but those adjectives work too." Emily agreed with a shrug.

"Will you get off my back?" Marley demanded, poking at Thea, who remained firmly latched onto him, little a lot like a panda bear. Her eyes even hard the dark circles around them, probably from either a fight or exhaustion, or both.

"Nope. I'm going to hold on and make sure you don't chicken out." Thea proclaimed.

Marley rolled his eyes, "I can't deal with this right now. Ugh, okay, fine, be a panda. Whatever. Maria, Emily, Bianca, we need your help. We need to get into the Underworld, and we're not flying across the country to get to LA. Besides, we've got Coal with us so we can't exactly take a plane. We're looking for back exits into the Underworld, and most of them are-"

"Underground?" Bianca interrupted, "So you need one of us to come and find you in New York and help you find an underground entrance to the Underworld?"

"That about sums it up, yeah." Thea said from over Marley's shoulder. He was now attempting to shrug her off, but she was not letting go. Bianca pressed her lips together, "You're smart. I appreciate that."

"Please – get – off – of – me!" Marley grunted.

" _No,_ " Thea snorted, "Absolutely not."

Someone outside the frame of the Iris Message said something incoherent, which sounded vaguely like, ' _Belle is trying to murder Zari, please stop them_ '.

"All my friends are weird. Why are all my friends weird?" Marley mused, giving up and standing straight. Thea pulled a face now that he had stopped struggling, "I seriously need to sort out my priorities – OW! Cut it out, Thea!" Thea had flicked him hard on the ear for his last comment, and was glaring at him.

"Zari said something about Cobble Hill Tunnel, so I think we should start there." Thea remarked.

"Why?" Marley asked, a touch defiantly. Bianca had to side with him here – there was nothing particularly exceptional about Cobble Hill Tunnel except for the historical factor. Thea rolled her eyes like the answer was obvious.

"New York is huge, Jameson. We need somewhere to start, and it's an easy place to get to that is underground. It's a haul from here, but if we go by bus or subway, we'll be there in no time." Thea explained.

"Thea you are breathing in my ear, stop breathing in my ear." Marley snapped. Thea simply clung on tighter. She was doing it just to annoy him, Bianca knew, but something about it set her teeth to grinding, though she had no idea why. Sure, she and Marley were friends and had dated once, but that seemed rather irrelevant to the situation. Marley, seemingly noticing that Thea was not letting go any time soon, adjusted his hands so he held onto her legs, carrying her traditional piggyback style. Deciding that it had no relevance, and the pangs she kept feeling in her stomach were a result of a bad dinner, she clicked her tongue.

"Alright, I'll help you," She yawned, "But not tonight." Emily and Maria grinned and nudged at each other. Bianca pointedly ignored them.

"No, not tonight," Marley agreed, "This one," He shifted slightly, indicating Thea, "Is just about to die from exhaustion. That's probably why she's acting like a partially insane koala. The rest of us are pretty banged up too. We ran into quite a bit of trouble today. We can fill you in tomorrow. Where do you want to meet?"

"Excuse me?" It was Frank. His arms were knotted so tightly across his chest that it must have hurt. He was glaring from Bianca to Marley, shaking his head, "I haven't given you permission, Bianca. You are _not_ going out there, not now. There are plenty of monsters-"

"I've fought monsters before, Dad, I'll be fine." Bianca crossed her arms in the exact same style as her father, shooting a glare that was near identical to his in the direction of her parents.

"Your father is right, you can't go out into the city alone." Hazel fretted, glancing around the room as if looking for volunteers to be Bianca's bodyguard. Bianca resisted the temptation to roll her eyes. She was more that capable of taking care of herself, she didn't need a bodyguard to do it for her. But on the other hand, her father and mother probably wouldn't let her leave Camp unless she had at least one other camper to watch her back. Hazel's eyes fell on Julian, who had been listening to the conversation with a disinterested, glazed expression.

"Julian, why don't you go with her?" Hazel suggested.

" _No._ " Julian replied flatly. Hazel and Frank looked at each other. Through the Iris Message, not a sound was made except for a scraping noise in the background – probably the other questers vainly attempting to restrain Belle and Zari.

"I'll pay you." Frank negotiated. Julian perked up.

"Depends on how much." He answered.

"Probably not very much, but I'll give you sword lessons every Tuesday and Thursday for a month." Frank continued. Bianca resisted the urge to scoff as Julian immediately leaped at the chance to get sword lessons with Frank Zhang. Though Frank preferred the bow to all other weapons, his father was Mars. He wasn't bad with a sword, and sometimes taught Percy's sword class when the Son of Poseidon was away.

"Deal. Where are we meeting the idiots – I mean Marley and the others?" He questioned.

"Yeah, when and where do you want to meet?" Bianca asked.

Marley turned his head expectantly to Thea, who shrugged, "Hey Zari!" She yelled. Marley winced as she shouted right next to his ear.

"Yes?" Zari's face appeared in the mist.

"Where should we meet Bianca and Julian?" Thea asked. Zari frowned, as if trying to remember. Then, she nodded.

"Have Argus drive you to where Atlantic Street meets Court Street. There should be a little diner there on the corner called Helle's Kitchen. We'll meet you there at nine tomorrow, sound good?" She looked from Marley to Bianca. They both nodded. Pleased with herself, Zari disappeared. The Iris Message flickered. They were almost out of time.

"See you tomorrow." Bianca said hopefully. Her heart skipped a beat when Marley smiled. Okay, so maybe she wasn't as over him as she thought, but she could still be helpful. She could still aid the quest. She could still be indifferent toward him.

Maria and Emily had stopped whispering, and were now looking at each person in the room in turn.

"How come B gets to go?" Maria asked.

"Because " _B_ " has the most training," Bianca snapped at her sister.

"That doesn't mean that you're invincible. You just want to go because Mar-"

"Girls, that's enough," Hazel scolded, "Off to bed, all of you. You need rest for tomorrow, especially you Bianca." She smiled at her oldest daughter. Bianca grinned back.

"Aren't you going to tell me to go to bed?" Julian asked, a little bewildered.

"If I did, you would say something rude, make an inappropriate gesture and leave, Julian." Hazel sniffed. Julian shrugged.

"Probably true." He replied.

 **Some Notes on the Chapter:**

 **You get to learn a little more about Marley and Bianca in this chapter, which is always good. Hopefully, you'll get even more of them later on.**

 **Thea is not the most snuggling person, but her father used to give her piggyback rides when she was young. They stopped a few years after Jett and June were born, because he had his hands full with business in New Rome and was rarely ever home.**

 **Julian is in the chapter, which makes me so ridiculously happy. He plays an essential role later in the story, which some of you either might or might not have an inkling about. I haven't exactly dropped many hints on that front.**

 **This chapter was hard to write. It took me forever to get done, but it is done now. Please enjoy and comment feedback, it is much appreciated. Sorry for the long wait, hopefully the next one will be up sooner. This one was also a little on the short side, because it was a bridge chapter, so the next chapter should be longer. We meet more enemies and there is lots of action next time, I hope. Also, what is Helle's Kitchen, you ask? Relevant to next chapter, that's what it is.**

 **Hope you enjoyed,**

 **PR**


	17. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

In Which Helle's Kitchen is Explored

 _You know, the one thing that kept me up last night was how you pronounce Helle's Kitchen. Naturally, Zari pronounced with a long "E" on the end, but I am determined not to do anything she does, so is it said the same was as the place where the devil presides? That won't work either, will it? Bother. Bother, bother, bother. These things keep me up at night. Luckily, Paris didn't sleep either. And do not get me started on Julian. Julian is going to be dead soon, and you will never find the body. You can't prove anything. But yes, I will kill him soon. Very soon._

"Hey, Marley." Bianca didn't know what to do with her hands, so she settled on crossing them. Marley apparently was feeling the same, because he kept putting his hands in the pockets of his jeans, and then taking them out. Thea, Zari and Coal seemed unimpressed by this awkward display (although admittedly Zari was going through many lengths to hide it). Paris and Jamie where taking together to one side, and Auden and Belle stood together. Belle was tugging at her ponytail, her eyes fixed on the awkward ex-couple.

"We need to get a move on," She said, motioning to them.

They were standing outside of Helle's Kitchen, a small, red and white diner on the corner of Court and Atlantic. The smells of frying foot issued from the open glass door, enticing all the New Yorkers who passed to pause and take an extra deep sniff. Julian was leaving against the nearest lamp post, watching the questers with boredom. He had a dark sweatshirt on, and his golden longsword glinted on his back. Belle wondered what mortal saw when they passed it. No one was giving them bizarre looks, so they probably didn't see a deadly weapon on Julian's shoulders.

"You're right. Let's grab breakfast." Julian suggested.

" _No,_ I meant to Cobble Hill Tunnel." Belle shot down his idea with irritation, putting her hands on her hips.

"Nope. I'm not going anywhere until I get food, ad Bianca had to swear to her father that she would not leave my side, so no food, no Underworld Detector." Julian replied with a shrug. Belle stuck her tongue out at him.

"Jules has a point," Zari remarked, her face unreadable, "I think that we should have something to eat. There wasn't much at the motel, and we can't exactly go into battle on an empty stomach." Belle was not in the mood to deal with Zari at the moment. She huffed.

"Did you forget the deadline?" Belle asked, referencing the two week time limit that Marley had filled them in on. Zari pressed her lips together.

"It's an hour at most. How much is an hour really going to affect us?" She questioned.

"I agree with Zari," Marley nodded, "Food first. As eager as I am to rescue my sister, I'm running on empty. None of us are in any condition to fight, and if we get ambushed…" He shook his head and stepped to the side of the door to Helle's Kitchen, "Shall we?"

Fuming at being sided against, Belle rolled her eyes and grabbed Auden's arm, shoving him through the door crankily. It was true she was hungry, it was true that she needed food, it was even true that she had been hoping that they could grab a bite to eat. But now that _Zari_ of all people had suggested it, she had lost her appetite. Besides, she doubted that Helle's Kitchen would be compliant with her wishes of gluten-free waffles.

The son of Aquilion peeled himself off the post and sauntered in Belle's direction.

"I guess it is true that redheads have fiery tempers." Julian snorted.

"That's not true, but the irritation I'm feeling with you right now is pretty real."' Belle snapped back, fisting the material of her jacket.

"Wait…" Auden murmured, turning around in the doorway, "What are you two talking about?"

"Oh, right!" Julian slapped his forehead overdramatically, "I forgot. Auden, I hate to break it to you, but your Belle is a carrot-top. Ginger. Redhead stepchild. You get the gist."

Grumpily, Belle plopped down in a booth. Much to her annoyance, Julian slid in next to her, and Auden after him. It was not comfortable to be pressed between the wall and Jules, and she elbowed him in the ribs to make sure he knew it.

"Too bad people aren't paying thousands of dollars to get your hair color." Belle shot. The usually grumpy, arrogant Julian's face split into the widest grin she had ever seen there. Then, his face morphed into a look of mock hurt as Paris, Jamie and Coal slid onto the other side of the booth. Thea, Bianca, Zari and Marley took the booth right next to them.

"I'm hurt. But I forgive you, for I know it is all because you're jealous of my gorgeous hair," Julian ran his fingers through his dark brown hair and winked at her, "It's okay to be jealous. If I were you, I'd be jealous of me too." He was too busy admiring himself in the napkin dispenser to dodge when Belle shifted in her seat and smacked the back of his head.

Auden was looking past Belle's head with a bemused expression on his face, like he had missed something, "Is your hair seriously orange?" He asked.

"Red," Belle corrected with a small smile, " _Thanks for that one, Dad_." She added under her breath.

A monstrous-sized waiter in a red and white uniform akin to a fast food worker's outfit meandered over, carrying a notepad in one hairy hand and menus in the other. He passed them out among the questers, "Is this some kind of birthday party or something?" He asked gruffly, "You kids ditching school?"

"Well, seeing as it is the beginning of summer, I would highly doubt it." Julian snapped. Paris and Jamie exchanged a look. Already, Julian was proving more trouble than he was worth.

"You look like the type to be in summer school," the waiter countered without missing a beat. He practically chucked Julian's menu at him, but Julian caught deftly. Belle glanced around the tiny diner. It looked like any old-fashioned forties diner, with a jukebox and everything. The walls were covered in red and white polka dots and the floor and black and white checkered, just like a chessboard. No other customers graced the restaurant, which gave Belle cause to wonder how good the food actually was here.

"What'll it be? Water? Coke? Iced tea? Coffee?" The waiter asked, pulling a pen out from his back pocket. His nametag read: _Al._

"Coffee." Belle said.

"Coffee." Julian added.

Auden wanted Dr. Pepper, Coal wanted iced tea, Jamie coffee and Paris water. Al went to talk to the other booth about what they wanted, and Thea could be heard loudly ordering three shots of expresso in her coffee. Belle couldn't blame her. The middle Grace child had huge bags under her eyes and she had a sort of gaunt, hollowed expression. She must not have slept well either.

By the time the drinks came and Belle tuned back into the conversation, Paris and Jamie were in a heated debate about something-or-other.

"I'm just saying – first impressions are key. If Mr. Darcy had only made a good first impression on Lizzie, then things might have been so very different," Paris was in the process of saying.

"Pride and Prejudice?" Belle asked. Paris nodded.

Julian scanned the menu and then snorted. He pulled his backpack from around his feet and riffled inside of it, searching for something. Belle watched him, not really paying attention to what he was doing. Finally, he pulled out a small leather case from inside the backpack and flipped it open. Coal stifled a laugh.

"You wear _glasses_?" She asked, a little incredulous. Julian shot Coal a wounded look.

"Contacts, usually, but I ran out. Ever wonder why I'm so bad at archery?" His eyes drifted to Belle. She tilted her head slightly.

"First impressions," She repeated, "No wonder I don't like you very much."

Paul had always been good friends with Julian, but that wasn't exactly how Jules and Belle had first met. They had only talked briefly before. Belle couldn't stand his arrogance and crankiness, and he hated her uptight "I'm always right" opinions. But their first meeting had set the tone for their mutual dislike of each other.

When they had first met, Belle had fallen out of a tree.

Julian had been lying awake in the Hermes Cabin. It had been three years ago, he had just recently turned thirteen. It was midwinter, and very few people remained at Camp Half Blood, yet the Hermes Cabin was always cramped. It was before he had insisted that he got a room in the Big House. His mother had sent him there to make _friends._ At thirteen, he had _plenty_ of friends. He didn't need any more. The only reason that he had been there was because his mother, Reyna, had wanted to take care of some urgent business with Percy and Annabeth. They had even flown across the country – though not in a plane. By the hand of Julian's father, Aquilion. The mysterious, elusive father. The father that Julian had never met.

Restlessly, Julian rose. Dawn was creeping in, and the sun was beginning to rise over the frostbitten strawberry fields and arena. Usually, when he was feeling restless, he would head down to the arena to blow off some steam by practicing with his sword. Today, he was feeling up for a challenge.

He stopped by the weapons shed and retrieved a longbow and a quiver of practice arrows. After his detour, he headed for the archery range.

All of Camp was securely tucked in their beds, cocooned from the cold in their sheets. Julian wore his ratty old hoodie and purple pajama pants. He hadn't even bothered to put on shoes, but the cold never bugged him the way that it bugged normal people. Another great trait from his father – not being able to feel cold until he was trapped in sub-zero temperatures.

He strolled across the grass, the only sound being the crunch of his feet on the frost. Soon, he arrived at the archery range. Arrow after arrow he fired. Most missed their mark – the center of the target. Many of them missed the target altogether. If only everything wasn't so _blurry_ in the distance. He hadn't bothered with contacts, or even his dreaded, dorky glasses. Probably a mistake for practicing with a long-distance weapon.

The last arrow from the quiver thudded into a tree far behind the target. Frustrated by his lack of success, Julian cast aside his longbow, preparing to march down the archery range, to gather stray arrows as he went. But these plans went to Hades.

There was a loud shriek and a _thump._ From the tree that had been struck by the arrow moments before, someone had fallen. Laying on the icy ground was a girl with a messy auburn bun and a heavy winter coat. Her face was contorted with laughter. She struggled to her feet as Julian jogged down the court to make sure she was okay. Her cheeks were reddened by the low temperature, but she doubled over with laughter all the same as she brushed herself off.

"Did you just fall out of a tree?" Julian asked, eyebrows raised.

"No, someone else fell out of the tree and I just swapped places with them," The girl laughed. She brushed some red hair out of her eyes. She was maybe a year younger than Julian, with a freckled face and a small nose. Her eyes were a little large for her face.

"Alright then, what's so funny?" Julian inquired, changing tactics. He was more than a bit nettled by this girl's laughter. He had the oddest feeling that it was directed at him. The girl straightened.

"I'm so sorry, but… um… were you even aiming?" She pointed at the arrow in the trunk of the tree, "You startled me so much that I tipped over, but to be perfectly honest, you're _awful._ "

Julian scowled.

"I was trying." He grumbled.

The girl continued to laugh, again brushing her hair from her eyes. They were blue, but as he watched, they shifted to green. There was an ugly dark splotch in her left eye – some sort of discoloration in the iris… what was it called? Julia wracked his brain – _heterochromia,_ "Apologies, if you find it hard to laugh at yourself, I would be happy to do it for you." She told him merrily. Now severely irritated by her fits of giggles, Julian crossed his arms.

"I was getting better." He snapped defensively. It was her turn to raise her eyebrows.

"Yes, that last arrow was a catastrophic success." She quipped. "Try digging your heels in a little bit, and pulling your hand even with your jaw. That's how I see Mr. Zhang do it, and he's good at it. Why don't you join the Archery Class if you want to join?" She asked. Julian shot her a look.

"And totally embarrass myself? No thank you." He replied with irritation. The girl shrugged.

"Just some friendly advice." She had stopped laughing now. There was a smudge of dirt on her nose from when she had fallen.

He pulled a face.

He had seen her around before, walking with Paul or dueling in the arena. She didn't train with the sword students, instead she typically went to spear or dagger class. She had the strangest weapons too, things that the Hephaestus kids must have made her. Triangles of metal that she held in her hands and used like claws. Julian had no idea what they were called, and frankly, he didn't care.

To her credit though, he _had_ seen her beat Paul while dueling, although Jackson might had let her win. And besides, the only reason this girl had won was because she was small and fast, not because she had actual skill. She had just managed to slip under Paul's guard and disarm him quicker than Paul could swing his weapon.

"I don't need advice from a kid." Julian snapped. The girl's eyes widened slightly and she looked hurt.

"I'm twelve, I am not – well I am by definition but I-" She spluttered. Satisfied with himself that he had caused her as much consternation as she has caused him, he stormed away, stalking in the direction of the Temple, far up on the hill. At least there, he wouldn't be disturbed. Behind him, he heard the ginger grumble: "What a git," under her breath.

"Of all the pretentious people…" He muttered to himself.

Later that day, he had learned her name was Belle. Paul was good friends with her – he claimed that she was actually nice once you got to know her, but Julian had no intention of finding out. A little more than two years later, he still had no intention of getting to know her. He obviously had seen her around whenever he was at Camp Half Blood, but he had avoided her, and she seemed to get the message loud and clear. She avoided him too.

And now they were sitting shoulder to shoulder in a diner, trying to make small talk over bitter, watery coffee. Unfortunately, their attempts at small talk quickly turned into a competition of who could out-sarcasm the other. Auden, Paris, Jamie and Coal were completely exasperated by the time that Al had come back to take their food orders. Julian pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"The classic pancakes please." He said with sudden, forced politeness. Belle mock-gasped.

"You said 'Please'! You _do_ have manners!" She exclaimed triumphantly. She ordered some bacon and eggs, which looked relatively safe. Paris had scrambled eggs and an English muffin, Jamie a breakfast burrito and Coal a full-sized plate of waffles. Al nodded, taking it all down with a faint smile on his face. He inhaled deeply, nodding as he left the table and moved toward Marley and the others to take their orders.

They dissolved again into conversation – Paris and Jamie discussing the themes in Jane Austen's various novels, Auden and Coal chatting about the quest and Julian and Belle bickering again. He was now in the process of mocking her height.

"… the eighth, long forgotten dwarf," He was in the process of saying.

"You may be more than a head taller than me, but I can easily fix that with my katars." Belle answered in the same tone. Julian's grin grew a little more.

"If you could reach my neck, which you can't."

"How's the weather up there?"

"How's the weather _down_ there? I'm pretty sure if we get caught in a rainstorm, you'd be the last person to know."

"Is it going to be like this for the rest of the day?" Coal moaned, leaning back in her seat and checking the cloak on the wall. Auden shrugged.

"Probably. I've never seen Belle this competitive about insults before though." He said with a shrug.

"You've never _seen_ her, period." Coal snapped, rubbing her temples. Auden pressed his lips together in a sharp line and looked away from the direction of Coal's voice. It was a sharp reminder of his handicap. He didn't usually mind not being able to see. It was so natural to him by now. But Coal's reminder of it set Auden's teeth on edge. All the arguing was not helping Coal's post-concussion headache. She stood abruptly, just as their food was brought out from the door that led to the kitchen.

In a huff, she sat back down.

Al served set all of their plates down on the table, and another woman wearing a chef's uniform, with golden-brown hair and rosy skin carried meals to Marley and everyone else at the other table. Julian drained the last of his coffee and yawned. He felt so inexplicably, unexplainably tired, even after the caffeine buzz. The chef woman – whose nametag read _Helen_ – and Al hurried back into the kitchen. As Helen passed Julian, her nametag flashed silver and changed from _Helen_ to _Helle._ Al stumped past after her, and his nametag shifted too. Julian squinted at the tiny print. It was no longer _Al._ It read: _Almops._

 _Helle. Almops. Helle. Almops. Helle. Almops…_

Where had he heard those names before? Maybe a Greek myth that Reyna had told him when he was younger? He repeated the names in his head over and over again… The hairs on the back of his neck began to stand up. Something was desperately wrong.

Coal, Jamie, Paris and Auden fell ravenously on their food. Belle was too busy drinking the last of her coffee. It was poor quality coffee, she mused as she drank, but she hoped that having a little more energy would be worth the bitter taste. Besides, her eggs looked less than appetizing, and her bacon was almost burnt to a crisp. No she realized why this place had no customers – the cooks weren't very good.

"Oh well," she breathed into her mug and set it down on the table. She picked up her fork, but a frigid cold hand clasped around her wrist as she reached for her food. She turned to scowl angrily at Julian. His eyes were wide behind his square glasses. His skin felt like ice – but maybe it always felt like ice. She had no idea. She had never actually been in physical contact with the son of the North Wind before.

"Don't eat the food," He said through a yawn.

"Why not?" Belle yawned too, probably because he had.

"It's drugged or poisoned or something." Julian stated plainly. No one else at the table was paying them any attention anymore. They were too tired of Belle and Julian's bickering to care what either was saying, to even hear the frantic note in Julian's voice.

"How'd you figure?" Belle blinked sleepily and jerked weakly at her arm, trying to free it from his grip.

"I've felt dazed ever since I finished my coffee. And look at you, you look tired too."

"I didn't sleep last night, I have weird dreams… snippets of what's to come…" Belle slurred.

"And the nametags of the cook and waiter. Helle and Almops." Jules spoke. Belle raised her eyebrows, and then squeezed them together.

"Helle and Almops?" She asked, her vague, dazed expression coming back into focus. He nodded. Just then, Coal, who was the fasted eater of all of them there, slumped over her plate. Jamie was next, then Auden. From the other table, Thea shirked, and Zari moaned something. These sounds were followed by several thumps and the sound of shattering glass. Thea's coffee mug had fallen from her grip and broken on the floor. The door to the outside slammed shut with a bang and shutters snapped down over the glass storefront without any assistance. Paris, the only one still awake, looked around woozily at both Julian and Belle.

"What's going on?" She mumbled, her voice hoarse and breath raspy, "The food… water… water will cleanse…" And then she slumped down too, either unconscious or- Belle refused to let herself think about what else Paris and the others might be. But the way her voice had rasped in her throat, like sand being poured over metal… Belle fumbled with her backpack at her feet and pulled out her plastic water bottle. She fumbled, trying to uncap it. Julian snatched it from her, uncapped it with ease and chugged almost half the bottle before handing it back to her.

She drank the remainder of it, letting the cool, clean liquid pour over her lips and past her mysteriously parched tongue. She was so very thirsty. She had not come close to quenching her thirst as she drained the last drops from the bottle. She pulled out her spare bottle too and handed it to Julian. Her thoughts were starting to clear. She could think straight again. She could hear the irregular breathing of her companions.

Her hands were shaking so badly that by the time that Julian handed her the bottle, after taking a few sips himself, she almost dropped it. She spilled some on her jeans, but she didn't care. Again, she drank greedily. The word became sharper, more in focus. The water was helping.

Belle broke away from the water bottle, determined not to drink it all, gasping for oxygen. She and Julian exchanged glances.

"We need to get them out of here. You try the door." Julian instructed. He slid out of the booth and helped Belle up. She rushed over to the door and rattled the handle insistently. It didn't budge. She turned back to Julian, shaking her head.

"Nope. I can't open it." She called.

" _Blast-it-open, you-daughter-of-Hecate!_ " Julian cried. Belle nodded and squared her shoulders. The thought hadn't occurred to her, but now that he said it, it seemed so obvious. She felt the air shift as she called on her sorcery, thinking of a powerful force. A brilliant turquoise cube of energy appeared around her fist and she prepared to lob it at the door. Behind her, Julian yelled.

Belle whirled, the energy around her hand crackling ominously. She felt it tingling her fingers, sending shivers up her arm. A parade of icy-footed beetles marched down her spine as she saw why Julian had yelled. Al and Helen – no, Almops and Helle – had returned to the main part of the diner, expecting to see all the questers passed out. With them was a third person, a smaller person to Almops, but still larger than both Julian and Belle. His nametag was hard to read at a distance, but Belle made out the name _Paeon._

"Why are they still awake?" Paeon asked in a slow drawl.

"They didn't eat their food, you fool." Helle hissed, glancing at the booth where Auden, Coal, Jamie and Paris sat, passed out, "They must have realized it was drugged."

"But the drinks were drugged too – they should be asleep. At least, the tiny one should be," Almops' voice rumbled. Belle and Julian risked a shared glance, "She's smaller, it should have affected it more." _It did,_ Belle thought viciously. Julian hadn't needed as much water. He had been a little more in it from the beginning. Curse her height!

"It doesn't matter. There are three of us and two of them," Helle spoke softly, looking at the two standing questers, "We will deal with them quickly. Paeon, Almops, knock them out."

The two men charged forward, their feet thumping on the vinyl flooring. Julian reached for his sword and drew it, bringing it in a long, deadly arc as Paeon drew close enough. But apparently, having lived since Greek times, the monster had been given optimal time to practice. He ducked out of the way, only sustaining a long gash on his arm. A weaker monster, the blow might have killed. But not this one.

Almops moved after Belle. She threw her cube of energy at him, and it hit him full in the face, but he kept coming, burn marks covering his skin. His facial hair was smoking. She fumbled in her pockets for her paperclips. Pulling them out and yanking them apart, her katars formed in a flash of silver.

But she was too late.

Almops bashed the flat of his hand against her chest and sent her flying. Cold air whipped around her. She got some of her hair into her mouth. She hit one of the tables and slid to the floor, bruised but okay. By some miracle, she had managed not to impale herself.

Julian was untouchable. Or rather, he manipulated the air around his opponent to make it _look_ like he was untouchable. Just small blasts of frigid air, enough to knock Paeon off balance or to deflect a kick. The monster-disguised-as-a-young-adult didn't have any weapon besides his fists, and Julian kept dodging, but he knew that sooner or later, Paeon was going to get in a lucky shot. His enemy was also skilled at dodging all of Julian's stabs and slashes. He had only sustained one other gash on his cheek during the battle. Dandelion yellow dust oozed from the wound.

Belle being thrown across the room was the perfect distraction. He turned when he heard her scream and threw out his left hand. A gust of wind wrapped around her, tossing her hair about her head. Paeon struck then as Julian was trying to protect the only other person in fighting shape. A mighty fist blow to the head sent him sprawling next to Belle.

"We just _had_ to choose the one monster-infested restaurant, didn't we?" He snarled.

"I blame you and Zari," Belle's face was tight with pain. She got up unsteadily and scanned her surroundings. Paeon and Almops were moving in slowly and proudly, like they knew that they had won. Her eyes fell on the silverware on every table and the plates of half eaten food, "Brilliant!"

"Mind sharing your genius plan?" Julian demanded as he clambered to his feet.

"You'll see." Belle replied crossly.

"Yeah, that's _super_ helpful." He shot.

"Fine, stall for time," Belle whispered, trying to move her mouth as little as possible.

"Resistance is futile, you realize. My sons are hungry, and Demigods make such a good meal." Helle crooned from back near the kitchen.

"Aren't you supposed to be good?" Julian blurted out, "In the Greek myths? The golden ram rescued you from a terrible fate and you fell in the ocean, but aren't you supposed to be a good guy, not a monster?"

"Of course I was a monster. Why do you think that my stepmother hated me so much?" Helle crowed, "Your version of the myth is so twisted and wrong. Of course, it comes from the telling of my awful brother. The victors always write the history books, or so they say. But if you really must know, it is _all_ my brother's fault. We were hated by our stepmother. Her name was Ino. She knew that we weren't real children, we were monsters, and not just figuratively. Ino, wicked woman, hatched a devious plot to get rid of both my brother Phrixus and I. She was so closely connected with your wine god, Dionysus… She called on _Hecate_ ," Here, Helle spat on the ground. Belle blanched, her concentration wavering for just a moment. Her mind extended to all of the pieces of silverware, all of the plates, the salt and peper dispensers, everything that wasn't bolted down on the tables… Helle continued, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand, "To roast the town's crop seeds so that they wouldn't grow. She could have done it herself, but she had a boon – a favor – from Hecate. She used it to ensure that we were discarded. All of the local farmers were terrified of famine, so they asked the nearby Oracle for assistance. Ah… The rest of the boon from Hecate was used to bribe the Oracle. Hecate has some control over the future, doesn't she? From her mother Asteria? Hmph. I always hated Hecate and any of her children…"

Helle's eyes strayed to Belle. Belle stared back, willing the monster not to realize what she was going to do.

"The Oracle lied to the men who were sent there, and the men returned to the city proclaiming that the only way not to starve in the coming months was to sacrifice my dearest brother, Phrixus. Naturally, the horrified, squeamish villagers complied. They prepared to sacrifice him, and they brought me, his twin sister, to watch it happen. Once he was killed, the secret would be out. We weren't really people, but monsters. But before the men of the village could kill Phrixus, we were rescued by a flying golden ram sent by our true mother, Nephele. We soared out over the ocean, escaping our fate. But it wasn't enough for Phrixus. He wanted be dead and gone. The myth says that I fell from the ram into the Hellespont. The truth is that my brother pushed me. I did not die either, but went to an underwater realm. There, I met Poseidon. The rest is _ancient_ history," Hello motioned to Almops and Paeon, "My children… one born a giant. He helped wage war against the Olympians with the other Giants…" She stepped forward and patted her larger son's arm.

"And my stepmother? Ino? The evil, vile creature was granted immortality! She became the goddess Leucothea! Bah. She deserved none of it. It was I who deserved to be the queen! Me! So you see, as I said before, history is written by the victors, my demigods, and the myth that you hear is from Phrixus – the 'victor'. Now you know the true story. It _is_ a pity that you'll die without being able to share it. Almops, Paeon, attack."

Almops and Paeon moved forward. Belle decided that whatever amount of concentration she had, it would have to do. She raised her arms.

"Up plates, forks, knives, spoons! Up salt shakers and pepper grinders! Up napkin dispensers!" She shifted so that she had her index and middle finger pointing at her oncoming enemies, " _Beat!_ "

Chaos ensued.

All of the silverware, napkin dispensers, salt and pepper holders and plates rose into the air and descended in a swarm of fury upon Almops and Paeon. Helle shrieked shrilly in anger and beat a hasty retreat into the kitchen while her children fended off the flying objects. Belle's knees gave way and she gripped a nearby chair to stay upright. Julian was laughing, his face split into a huge grin. He turned and beamed at Belle.

"This is incredible!" He shouted over the clamor. Belle pressed her lips together and rolled her eyes.

"Glad you finally noticed." She shot back, "But this is only going to delay them. It can't actually _hurt_ them."

"Right, not Celestial Bronze or Imperial Gold." Jules nodded. He readied his sword in the front guard position and sprinted into the mess of flying utensils and plates. Excess food had splattered all across the floor and walls. Belle deflected the omelet that came flying at her with a flick of her wrist. Julian hit the floor and slid several paces and Paeon turned to strike at him. His sword cut Paeon across the leg, but still the monster didn't dissolve into dust. Suddenly, Almops spun around and spotted Belle. He ran for her. She ducked under his outstretched hand, ready this time, but it was a feint. He gripped her would the waist with both hands and lifted her off the ground. Belle shrieked.

The floor split.

Black mist formed, swirling ominously, and swept through the restaurant.

A small, bony hand appeared from the crack.

Julian froze, as did Paeon, transfixed. Helle peeped out from the kitchen. Everything flying clattered to the floor as Belle's last ounce of concentration slipped. A skeleton was crawling out of the earth. Belle gulped.

 _She_ had done that.

The skeleton had no weapons, but it wore a tattered blue uniform, like it had once been in a militia or something. It turned to Belle, awaiting orders. Belle was rather ashamed to admit that she made a tiny, whimpering squeak when the empty eye sockets turned on her.

She _hated_ bones.

"Tell it to help!" Julian instructed.

"Attack Helle!" Belle cried, fear clutching at her heard. Then everything was back in motion. A terrified Almops brought Belle down hard on the nearest booth and she cracked her head against the wall. Everything went black.

 **Some Notes on the Chapter:**

 **This is the very first time you see Belle's necromancy in action, but it certainly won't be the last. Her fear of bones really interferes with this power – the only time she can really summon a skeleton or a zombie or a ghoul or anything is when her fear of something else is greater than her fear of bones, e.g. losing someone she cares about, or death. In this chapter, she has a fear of what Almops is going to do to her which overwhelms her fear of bones.**

 **There is an Easter Egg name in this chapter that foreshadows something to come. People are welcome to guess what that name is. We shall see if anyone gets it right.**

 **Julian's mother taught him the effects of drugged food, that is how he figures out that the food and drink that they get in Helle's Kitchen is drugged. Reyna wanted to make sure that her son could never be poisoned/drugged. As soon as he started feeling tired after the coffee and caught sight of the shifting nametags, it clicked for him.**

 **Julian's hands (well, all of him really) are always freezing cold. He is the son of Aquilion after all. He also doesn't feel the cold in the same way that others do. Sure, if the temp was sub-zero, he would feel it as if it were thirty or forty degrees. But normal cold temperatures don't bother him. He never wears gloves out in the snow, and only ever wears a jacket – no hat or scarf or anything.**

 **Ah, I enjoyed Julian and Belle's snarky teasing. You also get some backstory as to how they first met. Hopefully that transition into the "flashback" wasn't terribly confusing. Apologies if it was.**

 **There will be more awkward ex-boyfriend/girlfriend interactions between Marley and Bianca. They are coming! Never fear. Also, there is going to be some Bianca-Thea sisterly bonding at some point I think. And the next chapter has some Jamaris in it too. In a few chapters (If I decide that it fits and doesn't slow the story down too much), my readers might get Julian and Auden discussing Cecil. Also, there are large hints in this chapter and the last chapter as to what is to come for Julian and his role. He is one of my favorite characters. Snarky, arrogant, bitter, grumpy, sarcastic, bossy. Yep.**

 **Honestly, Julian wearing glasses is inspired by me getting a pair of glasses. Apparently, I have terrible vision. I can see now! Yay! He is wearing the glasses in the fight, and miraculously, they are not broken. He usually doesn't wear them in exchange for contacts because he thinks it makes him look cooler. Also, wearing glasses while sword fighting is not really a good idea. They break easily.**

 **This is the chapter in white Auden learns Belle is a carrot-top. He thought she was a blonde, but never bothered to ask. This is inspired by the fact that Belle originally had blonde hair in the early drafts of her character. Just a little interesting Easter Egg.**

 **Reyna has made sure that Julian is well versed in both Greek and Roman mythology, just to make sure he is well protected. That is how he knew the story of Phrixus and Helle.**

 **I am in the Christmas Spirit right now (Merry Christmas to all! Happy New Year! Happy Hanukkah! Have wonderful Holidays! Whatever you prefer!), so I have a few Christmas-y one-shots planned for some of the pairings – specifically one that has not been revealed yet, but you can probably guess.**

 **The Keres make a dramatic return soon. Hopefully.**

 **Yay, another chapter. I'm so happy with it! Hopefully the action was easy to follow and the fighting made sense. You also get a little insight into Belle and Julian's "friendship". I wouldn't even call it that. The next chapter they have to defeat their enemies and get to Cobble Hill Tunnel. Amphiaraus is waiting!**

 **Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Feedback is always welcome.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **REVENGE77: Aw, thanks. Yeah, writing the scene with Thea, Marley and Bianca was so much fun. Thea isn't really a snuggly person at first, but she also had two younger siblings who always wanted to hug her, so she isn't afraid to leap on people. I have a headcanon that probably won't make it into the actual story that Thea's favorite animal is the koala, which is another reason she leaped on Marley.**

 **PR**


	18. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

In Which Belle and Julian Snark

 _Why is everything dark? And cold? And… wet? Where on earth am I? Oh glory, we got locked in the walk in freezer. Absolutely fantastic (Please note the sarcasm)._

Belle was standing in darkness. She turned around, peering into the blackness, trying to see something. She expected to see Vera. Instead, she saw herself.

She was kneeling, her face buried in her hands. Julian – _Julian?_ – was crouched next to her, his arm around her shoulders, watching her. The Arabelle in the dream looked older. Her face was thinner and more tired, and she wore clothes that Belle had never seen before in her life – high quality jeans and a flowy blue blouse.

Belle wondered if this was another one of her fragmented pictures of the future. It probably was. She dreamt those sometimes, another gift from her mother. Enough to disturb her sleep on most nights, but never enough to give her an accurate picture of what was to come.

The image of Arabelle and Julian dissolved into mist and the darkness returned. The next thing Belle saw was Paris, battered, bruised and bloody, standing with a Celestial Bronze staff in her grip. Someone was slumped at her feet. Belle strained to see who it was, but she couldn't. Whatever Paris was facing, Belle had no idea, but Paris didn't look afraid of the coming battle. She looked determined, ready for anything, a natural born leader.

Again, the scene shifted, and Belle was standing in the Greek countryside. An orchard grew up on one side of the dusty path, and on the other side, tall, dense yellowing grass swayed in the wind. Two men in armor were obviously arguing, while a small party of Greek raiders waited on the path, shifting nervously from foot to foot.

"This is a doomed expedition. We should not go through with it!" One of the men in armor exclaimed, waving his hands emphatically to prove his point.

"You are a fool, Amphiaraus. This mission is not doomed to fail like you would have my men believe, but destined to find great success." The second man argued. Amphiaraus snorted loudly.

"It is you who is the fool, Adrastus. You tell your men that this _mission_ will succeed, but you yourself lead them into a slaughter. The Seven Against Thebes will fail, and we shall all be struck down in battle, falling into Hades' grasp. You fool, you old, senile fool!" Amphiaraus growled.

"Speak not to me with these insults," Adrastus struck Amphiaraus across the face with such force that the armored man stumbled back. The men behind them shifted nervously again, as if expecting Amphiaraus to rise up and attack Adrastus. Instead of attacking his oppressor, Amphiaraus straightened, adjusted his armor and turned to the men.

"When you all face Hades, know that Adrastus is to blame for our deaths. I warn you once again not to follow this fool." Amphiaraus warned. But the men said nothing. None of them even met Amphiaraus's gaze. Adrastus let out a derisive snort of victory.

"Do not dare to be childish Amphiaraus." He instructed.

"I have a family to return to, Adrastus. I will be taken from them by your wicked ignorance. I would curse you never to become immortal, but to face eternal torture. Let our deaths be on your head." Amphiaraus said nothing more, simply sweeping down the path, his face contorted in rage. The rest of the men followed him.

Belle's dream changed again.

She was back in the dark cavern that she had seen so many times. Vera was sitting on the floor, sobbing, her shoulders shaking, "I don't _know!_ " She wailed, "I can't open it! Leave me be!"

"You _can_ and will." The same grating voice that Belle had heard before hissed. The shadows oozed around Vera and she screamed, batting at something Belle couldn't see.

"Stop! Stop! Please stop! I'll try again!" She shrieked, slumping down on the floor, her sobs shaking her whole body. Belle could almost hear the smile in the mysterious voice.

"Excellent. Begin again."

Belle opened her eyes. Her head ached so terribly that it felt as if it were about to split open. All of her hurt. She must have had a thousand bruises, primarily on her torso and arms. She sat up blearily, shivering in the intense cold. Someone had thrown their jacket over her chest. It was old and green – it was Julian's. Blearily, Belle tried to blink away her headache.

Wherever she was, it was cold, damp and only lit by a dim light on the ceiling.

Shelves lined the walls, covered in various vegetables, meat and dairy products. Several large chunks of eat hung from the ceiling, held there by gleaming iron meat hooks. Belle gulped. She was in a freezer. A very large freezer.

Someone with dark hair dropped into a kneeling position next to her.

"You're awake, lazybones." Julian said.

"I don't think getting knocked out is lazy," Belle replied, rubbing her head and trying to clear it. She pulled Julian's jacket off of her and offered it back to him, but he shook his head. His breath fogged the air.

"I don't need it. You do. You were shivering so badly I thought you were going to get hypothermia. That _really_ would have slowed down the quest." He replied with a shrug. Belle shot him a dark look.

"I'm glad to see you care so much." She said icily. Julian shrugged again.

"Take the jacket or leave it, it's all the same to me. Personally, I would take it. You need to be in fighting shape to escape, after all."

Reluctantly, Belle slid Julian's jacket over her own and zipped it up. She felt a little bit warmer, but still cold enough to shiver. She scanned the freezer, looking for the others. Maybe Auden or Bianca would be willing to sit with her and conserve body heat. Her heart sank when she spotted none of the other questers. The monsters had taken all of their weapons. Even Julian's sword sheath that he usually carried over his shoulder was gone. Belle's hunting horn, which she had carried strapped to her hip, was missing as well.

"Where are Marley and the others?" She demanded, turning to Julian with her hands on her hips.

"I – I'm not sure. After Almops knocked you out, they ganged up on me, restrained me and threw all of us in here. A couple of minutes ago, they came for Marley and the others. They were all still drugged. I'm not sure where they took them, but they didn't want either of us."

"A couple of minutes?" Belle shrieked, "How long was I out?"

Julian checked his watch, "I dunno… maybe… four hours? Five? It's been really boring, being the only one awake."

"Yes, because you not being bored is the primary concern. Honestly, only boring people really get bored." Belle drawled. He huffed.

"Well I certainly didn't sit around doing nothing. I've looked all over the freezer for alternative escape routes." He explained, ignoring her brisk comments.

"And?" She asked.

He shook his head, "Nothing. We're stuck. The only way in and out is through that door. I needed to wait for you to wake up before I blast it open, because I'm not carrying you unconscious into battle. I tried. You're heavy."

It was Belle's turn to look offended, "I'm ninety-eight pounds at most." She snapped, "You are probably twice my weight."

"Yes, but imagine carrying an almost-one-hundred pound person on your back into battle," Julian talked slowly, like he was addressing someone who was mentally impaired. Belle threw her hands up in the air and turned away from him, sitting down on the floor and blowing on her reddened fingers. She buried her head in her hands.

"What do we do?" She asked miserably.

"Simple, we escape." Julian replied, "And find ambrosia for your head."

"What?" Belle twisted around to look at him quizzically. Painfully, like he was covered in bruises too, Julian lowered himself down to sit next to her. He reached for her forehead, an action that she immediately shied away from, "Just tell me what's wrong with my head?"

"You were bleeding pretty badly. I did my best to freeze the blood so that you wouldn't bleed out – head wounds bleed a lot is what my mom taught me – but…" His cold fingers pressed against her temple. Belle winced away.

"Agh! Your hands are cold!" She hissed through her teeth, trying to ignore the new swell of pain that him touching her head had caused.

"Everything in here is cold!" He pointed out, fuming, "I'm trying to help you."

"Oh, you're doing _such_ a good job of it." Belle asserted, sarcasm lacing her voice. Julian crossed his arms in a tight knot and gave Belle his best _I-Will-Kill-You_ glare. She seemed unresponsive to it, because she kept gazing defiantly back at him. Finally, after thirty seconds of scowling at each other, Belle relented. She sighed and leaned back on her palms.

"Sorry. Go ahead and poke at my skull. What's wrong with it?" She questioned.

"You've got a cut on your temple." Julian answered with a sigh. He shifted into a crouch and touched where the long, diagonal cut sliced across her temple. Frozen, congealed blood glittered around the wound in the dim lighting, trapping strands of bronze hair in place. Her nose was red as a cherry, but her lips were blue and cheeks pale.

"Concussion worthy cut or just a cut?" Belle asked slowly.

"I think just a cut. Do you feel like you have a concussion?" Julian poked the side of her hair. Belle shifted away from him and glared.

"Poking me in the head won't help," She readied a finger and poked him on the nose. He was still wearing his glasses but there was a small crack running through one lens. Her poke pushed his glasses back up the bridge of his nose. Julian exhaled a huge, misty breath and looked around.

"How are you feeling? Ready for a fight?" Julian asked. Belle stood up unsteadily and dusted her hands off with an overdramatic sigh. She scanned the room.

"Up, food!" She exclaimed. The veggies, frozen dairy products and shelved meats rose up from the shelves, floating and wobbling in the air. Belle dropped the spell and turned to Julian, nodding, "I'll be fine. No illusions though. I'm too tired for those." Julian noticed something shift in her eyes. One minute they were very blue in the lowlight, then they were green with the large dark splotch.

"Do you illusion your eyes?" He questioned. Belle tilted her head to one side, chewing on her lower lip thoughtfully, as if she was considering how much she wanted to tell him.

"It's called a _glamour,"_ She said, " _Glamours_ are usually hard to maintain, but it's become like muscle memory for me. They're what I do best. Glamours and illusions. I like my eyes as blue instead of green. Vanity, I suppose."

"Yes, because monsters definitely care if you have blue or green eyes." Julian remarked snidely.

"Stop being so sarcastic." Belle snarled, "Monsters don't care about that either."

"Well, you know," Julian shrugged, "Sarcasm is just one of the many benefits of bringing me along on adventures."

"I loathe you." Belle resisted the urge to punch him, but barely.

"Believe me, you have no idea how mutual the feeling is. Are you always this irritable?" Julian pushed his glasses back up his nose, narrowing his eyes.

"I'll stop being irritable when you stop being irritating." Belle responded with relish, "Now, are we breaking out or not? My teeth are chattering." Sure enough, her teeth were clattering together. Julian pursed his lips.

"I'll stop irritating you when I decide you're actually worth being nice to. So far, that hasn't happened."

"Oh, I wouldn't have _guessed._ "

"How come you get to be sarcastic, yet you tell me off for being sarcastic?"

"I'm sorry that my sensibility interfered with your over inflated ego! Let's just rescue the others. The faster we get out of here, the faster you and Bianca can get back to camp, _Jules._ " Belle snarled. She shoved her hands in his jacket pockets, suddenly feeling like the garment was contaminated (it did smell like him – very strongly of coffee beans), but too cold to be willing to rip it off. Julian sneered at her and turned to the door.

"Look, if we're going to rescue the others, we need to work together. Let's call a temporary truce, okay? Then, after we're out of here, you can go back to yelling at me, and I can go back to ignoring you. Sound fair?" Julian said.

"Sounds fair enough," Belle grumbled.

"Okay, I think I can blast the door open, but they'll know we're out immediately. Are you absolutely sure you're ready?" He double-checked. She rolled her eyes, fighting her still raging headache.

"Would you care if I said I wasn't?" She raised a brow at him. He smirked.

"Probably not. On three… One… Two… Three!"

.o0O0o.

Jamie blinked, and then blinked again. The word was a little blurry, but he was pretty sure that he had passed out over his food. He was definitely not still at the booth. He was lying in an unceremonious heap on the floor, not even bound, with the other questers, none of whom were stirring. He took a quick headcount.

Thea was lying with her head on Marley's chest and her elbow digging into Auden's ribs. Bianca was a tangled mess of limbs with Coal and Zari. Everyone was there except three. Paris, Julian and Belle were missing, absent from the stack of unconscious bodies.

Jamie sat up, pushing Coal's legs off of him. Whoever had dropped them hadn't cared how they ended up lying. They were in the corner of a dingy kitchen, obviously still in the diner due to the red and white color theme and the checkered vinyl flooring. A deep fryer filled with fizzling hot oil hissed nearby. Something sizzled on a stove.

Jamie got to his feet, feeling unsteady. One second he had been eating, the next he hadn't been able to breath. He had fallen face first onto his burrito (Normally he would have gotten pancakes, but he had decided that he needed something at least a _little_ more wholesome for breakfast if they were going to the Underworld). They must have been drugged or something. It had to have been the food.

Jamie looked around for his staff, but didn't spot any of their weapons. Where the monsters who had drugged them could have drugged them had possibly hidden their weapons, he had no idea, but he grabbed a nearby metal spatula. It felt better to have something in his hand. He nudged Marley with his toe, hoping that the leader would wake up, but Marley slumbered on. They all slept on, as if nothing had happened. Jamie wondered, since he had only taken a few bites of his burrito and was larger than all of his companions, the drugs had worn off faster.

He started across the kitchen and peeked out the door, on the lookout for Paris, Julian or Belle, or the monsters who had attacked them. The main part of the diner was in almost complete darkness. Shutters had been pulled down over the windows, blocking most of the outside light. In the lowlight, it looked like it had been mostly trashed. Silverware, plates, salt and pepper shakers, napkin dispensers, chairs and tables had all been broken and scattered across the floor. Bones were cast about the main area of the diner as if a skeleton had run around. Jamie gulped, hoping that it wasn't a skeleton of one of his friends, turned to bone by some sort of monstrous magic. In the center of the room stood the golden-brown haired woman who had helped bring out the food, the waiter and another young adult man wearing a nametag that read _Paeon._ Jamie peered through the darkness.

The other two nametags read _Almops_ and _Helle._

And there, slung over Almops's giant shoulder like she weighed nothing, was Paris. Her hair had fallen away from her face, and her eyes were closed, mouth slightly open. There was a dark line that ran across Paris's newly revealed eye – where she was half-blind.

"Why can't we eat her raw?" Almops was complaining.

"Because, eating humans raw can give you all sorts of nasty diseases," Helle scolded, her lips thin. Jamie stretched out his hand as the two began to bicker. They were almost as bad as Belle and Julian, he thought. He had been excited that Bianca had come to visit their quest and help them, they were good friends, even if he did think that she could be a little vain at times. And he could put up with Julian. The two of them had never talked much, but Julian seemed like a pretty decent person, if a little snarky and arrogant. He concentrated on reaching his consciousness toward the bones on the floor.

His teeth gritted, he summoned the bones together in a form, trying to assemble them without Helle, Almops and Paeon noticing. He failed. As soon as the first bone moved, Helle whirled and looked straight at Jamie. He pulled the shadows in the room around himself to hide just seconds too late…

"One of them is awake… The tall one." Helle hissed. Jamie stepped fully out of the kitchen, keeping the shadows around him in a tight cocoon, hiding himself from sight.

"Where is he?" Paeon asked.

"I don't know," Helle responded with venom, "He disappeared into the shadows."

Jamie got ready and brandished his spatula, and charged forward, doing his best to muffle his footsteps and step lightly. He hit Paeon upside the head with his spatula and ducked back into the shadows seconds later. Paeon whirled around, teeth bared, staring at where Jamie had been seconds before. Half focusing on keeping his shadow-screen intact, he whirled his fingers in the direction of the bones. The bones scattered around the floor rose up and joined together into a fully formed skeleton.

Jamie grinned.

Thanatos was a pretty awesome god to have a dad, he decided, as Helle shrieked.

"Is that Tartatus-awful girl out of the freezer?" She demanded, ducking behind Almops. Jamie froze. _Belle._ He had never heard of a daughter of Hecate summoning a skeleton, but he did know that Hecate was considered the goddess of necromancy, so it sort of made sense. Julian had to be with Belle then. Why, Jamie had no idea. Maybe Almops, Helle and Paeon were saving Julian and Belle to eat later. Paris began to stir on Almops shoulder, groaning and moving slightly.

"Skeleton, kill!" Jamie send the skeleton after Helle. Helle fled, pulling out Celestial Bronze throwing knives from her chef's apron as she sprinted across the debris-littered floor. She threw one, which missed the skeleton but clattered to the floor near Jamie. Jamie snatched it.

Jamie moved again and hit Paeon again with the spatula, throwing him off balance.

Severely ticked off, Paeon turned around and around, staring into the darkness. Jamie felt his shadow-screen flicker. Paeon spotted him, but it was too late. Jamie back flipped out of the way of Paeon's oncoming kick, twirled around and brought the throwing knife to Paeon's chest. It sank into the boy's chest surprisingly easily, and Jamie immediately felt sick. He didn't like to kill things, even monsters. That was part of the reason he used his staff.

Paeon exploded into gold dust and rained down on the floor. Helle shrieked with rage and paused to throw a knife at Jamie. She was good. It thudded into the wall next to his head. She smirked and adjusted her aim as Jamie prepared to dodge. He tried to summon the shadows around him again, but they wouldn't come at his call. He was already tired from using his powers to extensively. Resurrecting a broken skeleton must have taken a larger toll on him than he realized.

Paris had begun to thrash and kick. Almops grunted as her booted foot landed in his face.

The second throwing knife didn't hit Jamie – it hit his sleeve. He found himself pinned to the wall by the sleeve of his sweatshirt. It would be much harder to dodge now. Frantically, he dropped the spatula and knife and dropped to the ground. His sweatshirt slid over his head. He pulled his shirt down – it had ridden up – and snatched the knife and spatula back up. He threw the spatula, there was really no use for it, and ran for Almops, hoping the skeleton would take care of Helle.

His assumption was quickly proven wrong as he had to hit the deck as another one of Helle's knives almost hit him in the face. A few thousand years was plenty of time to practice throwing knives, he supposed.

Almops yelled and dropped Paris on top of Jamie. His ribs complained at the sudden added weight. She must have kicked him hard enough.

She rolled off of him, her perfectly coordinated outfit (how did she look perfectly put together and gorgeous on a quest? Jamie had no idea. It must been a daughter-of-Iris thing) stained by the bits of food on the floor.

Helle shrieked, and Amops smashed his fist down on the skeleton, shattering the bones to bits, "Pesky demigods!" He roared. Paris and Jamie exchanged glances.

"You take Helle, I'll take Almops?" Jamie suggested. Paris nodded. She was a medic, not a fighter, but she had to at least try. Still a little disoriented from the drug, she leapt to her feet, ducked under Almops's swinging fist and charged after Helle. Jamie got up a little more slowly and readied the small throwing knife. There was a crash from near the kitchen, but Jamie didn't have time to look what was happening. He aimed for Almops's knees, trying to overbalance the hulking man with a few well-placed strikes. Unfortunately, it wasn't working. For someone so tall, Almops was pretty quick. He kept dancing out of the way, shifting his feet so he had more leverage. Jamie's breath was coming in short, painful gasps. There was a tight stich in his chest, as if everything, including his own body, was doing its best to kill him.

Finally, he managed to get in a lucky shot. He had just hit the floor, and he slashed his small knife across Almops's ankle, right though the Achilles' Tendon. The monster howled in pain. Across the room, Paris's shrill scream cut through the air, mingling with his.

As Almops fell to one knee, Helle's raspy voice cut through the yells, "Drop your weapon, boy, or the girl dies!" Slowly, Jamie turned to look at Helle and Paris. Helle had one hand in Paris's hair, pulling her head back to expose her neck. The other hand held up a gleaming knife, right over Paris's heart. She was whimpering, her legs halfheartedly kicking. There was a long cut across her cheek.

"Don't-" Paris began, but Jamie had already let the knife fall from his grip.

"Now let her go," He said, very slowly, moving across the diner toward Helle. The knife inched closer to Paris's chest, the very tip pricking her blouse.

"Are you a fool? You have what makes nations crumble, kings fall, empires perish. _Ha!_ _Sentiment._ " Helle raised her knife and brought it down toward Paris's chest. Jamie had no idea what he was going to do, what he _could_ do. All he knew was that he had to stop what was happening. He could feel Paris's death, seconds away. He had to change that…

His hand closed around Helle's wrist, and without thinking, he simply pulled. Life force – the very essence of Helle's being – poured into Jamie's hand, down his arm and revitalized him. Everything was brighter, sharper, more connected. He could think clearly. Helle exploded into tiny particles of yellow with a screech of pain, her skin turning from rosy to grey moments before she passed, and then there was nothing but a pile of dust. The knife fell away and clattered to the floor, ripping the edge of Paris's shirt but not touching her.

With the sudden loss of someone holding back her head, Paris lost her balance and Jamie grabbed her around the shoulders to keep her steady. He stared down at the pile of monster dust. _How had he done that?_

"Jamie, look out!" Paris shrieked. Almops was charging toward them. Jamie made to turn towards the monster, but Paris grabbed the back of his head and forced it down into her shoulder, "Close your eyes and hold on tight." She instructed. He barely had time to comply with this order before bright, multicolored light seared his eyelids. Even with his eyes closed and his face against something, he still saw how bright the light was.

There was a roar of pain and a hiss, and then all was quiet. The light died away.

Jamie blinked the spots out of his eyes, slightly dazed. Almops was a steaming pile of gold powder on the floor. The light had been so bright that it must have shredded him to bits or something. The entire main room of the diner had been scorched almost black by the intense light, and all the food that had been on the floor were merely burnt crisps.

"Why don't you just _lead_ with that next time?" He asked jokingly. Paris shot him a small smile.

"I couldn't exactly warn you across the room. I can only protect people who I'm touching. Like all Demigod powers, I have limits." She said with a tiny shrug.

"That was brilliant. Why are you a medic if you can do _that_?" Jamie motioned to the destruction. He realized than that he was still holding her around the shoulders and hastily let go, trying to hide his blush. Paris pressed her lips together.

"You could just say that I have an overdeveloped nurturing instinct," Paris replied, "All my friends are fighters. Fighters wage war on other fighters. War causes death, destruction, pain… it breaks everything. This world is so broken, and I want to be part of healing it. Because healing doesn't mean that the brokenness never existed. It means that we can move on with our lives. That's who I want to be. That's why I'm a medic. Besides, I'm an empath. I probably understand your feelings better than you do." She said with a shrug. Jamie's heart did a little tap dance at this point. "So why are you a fighter?"

"Because I like pain, apparently," he answered, rubbing his ribs, "But no, in all seriousness, I think it's because…" He paused, collecting his thoughts, "I'm not always going to be able to choose my battles, but I get to choose who I become. I don't want to be the victim."

"Is that all?" Paris tilted her head to the side, studying his face, her eyes darting around his features like she was trying to x-ray him.

"Yeah, that's about it. Geez, I thought that was really profound." Jamie said. Paris smiled again and his heart missed a beat.

"It was." She said.

There was a loud crash from the kitchen. Paris and Jamie exchanged panicked glances and then sprinted for the other questers. Was there another monster lurking somewhere in the building? They burst through the red swinging door into the kitchen and saw what the commotion was all about. The door to the walk in freezer had been blown off its hinges and lay several meters away from its original abode. In the doorway to the walk in freezer, misty air curling around them, was Belle and Julian. Belle was wearing Julian's coat, and had a long gash along her forehead. Julian had a bruise growing on his cheek.

As soon as the two of them saw Jamie and Paris, they froze.

"Paris?" Belle asked, "Jamie?"

"Where are the monsters?" Julian demanded.

"We sort of… killed them." Paris supplied the answer, her cheeks coloring a little bit.

"You shouldn't have waited for me to wake up! You could have been helping them." Belle turned to Julian, glaring at him.

"We are not having this argument again." He shot back.

"While you two were arguing, we were actually _doing_ something." Jamie crossed his arms and surveyed the two of them, standing, arms crossed and glaring at each other. The effect was ruined by Belle shivering.

The next ten minutes were devoted to searching for the backpacks and weapons. Julian and Jamie found them hidden in the pantry. Meanwhile, Belle and Paris did their best to pour fresh water into the mouths of the drugged questers. Marley awoke almost immediately, then slowly, one by one, the others stirred and got to their feet, rubbing their heads and complaining about how their backs ached. Jules and Belle filled them in on what happened up until they got locked in the walk in freezer. Jamie and Paris took it from there, explaining the fight with Helle, Almops and Paeon.

"We have terrible luck," Zari complained, "Every time we think we might be safe, something else bad happens. Out of the frying pan and into the fire."

"Pretty much, yeah." Bianca agreed, massaging her elbow.

Jamie and Belle distributed everyone's weapons, and they all prepared to leave after they downed a few more glasses of fresh water each. Julian explained that they had lost five hours, which Marley seemed irritated by, but did his best to keep his temper. It helped that Bianca and Thea calmed him down.

The ten of them stood at the doorway of the diner, looking back over the carnage that they had caused. Marley then stood aside, and Zari blasted open the locked door. They stepped outside into the afternoon sunlight, two by two.

Bianca and Marley, who were the first two out of the diner started down the street in the direction of Cobble Hill Tunnel. Seconds later, Zari shrieked and dropped to the pavement, her hands over her head. A shadow passed over her – a large ebony creature with the body of a black panther, with the face and feet of an eagle, beady red eyes, and a long, sharp beak. Huge leathery wings spread out from its back. And it wasn't the only one. Other dark creatures were swooping around the intersection, the mortals paying them no heed.

"Gryphons!" Bianca yelled to the other questers, "We were stationary for too long. Ten demigods must have created quite a stink. They probably followed that here."

Zari straightened and drew her sword. Next to her, Auden peered around like if he tried hard enough, he might be able to see the flying enemies. "Like I said! Out of the frying pan…"

"…And into the fire." Marley agreed.

 **Some Notes on the Chapter:**

 **In this chapter we get a little more on Paris's calling to be a medic. She talks about being a fighter versus being a healer. It's also in her character – even if the fire hadn't happened and she hadn't ended up at her Mom's house, she still would have ended up being a medic. It's in her nature.**

 **This is why you don't pair Julian and Belle together. They'll bicker the entire time and never get anything done.**

 **To be perfectly honest, I kept picturing Gandalf as I was writing the "Out of the frying pan and into the fire." It kind of cracks me up.**

 **We also get to see Jamie displaying some of his powers. Now we've seen Paris, Belle, Zari (to a certain degree) and Julian display their powers. Auden doesn't have many powers that he can use offensively, since he is a Child of Nemesis, but you'll see him use his powers someday. Next chapter we get to see Thea, Bianca and Coal use their powers. Marley? Later. You haven't** _ **really**_ **seen Marley fight yet. But it is coming!**

 **In the beginning of the chapter, you have three visions. Two of them pertain to the future, and not in this story, but in the next phase of the story. The final one pertains to Amphiaraus, obviously, and his story.**

 **Yay! Another chapter! Feedback is appreciated. Thanks for reading,**

 **PR**


	19. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

In Which The Questers Jump Down a Hole

 _Great, just great. Not only did Zari steal my old fashioned "Out of the frying pan and into the fire" saying, but now we are fighting Gryphons. This day keeps getting better and better. But on the bright side, at least I vented some of my anger on Julian._

"We need a plan." Zari had traded in her sword for her Celestial Bronze gun and was taking aim at the nearest Gryphon, which was swooping down on Thea. Thea snap-kicked it on the beak and it swirled away, slightly dazed.

"You're right." Marley had drawn his bow and notched an arrow, "Any ideas, B?"

"What are you asking me for?" Bianca asked, readying her spear. It didn't have a "Mist Form" in the traditional sense, but rather it was retractable. The spearhead folded into the shaft, and then the shaft shrank down into a foot long stick of the same thickness. Her Uncle Leo had made it for her when she was younger and learning to fight with a staff.

"You usually dealt with strategy for the War Games," Marley reminded her. Bianca rolled her eyes.

"But I knew the troops then. I don't know most of these people, or what they can do." She countered. The next Gryphon swooped down on Julian and he leaped inhumanly high, seven feet or more into the air, cutting the Gryphon's throat, blade glinting in the light.

"Do you have _any_ ideas?" Marley asked. Bianca frowned.

"We can't fight them from down here. We need to get up on the buildings, or in the air or… Thea, Julian, can you fly up there and start fighting them in the air. Marley, Zari, snipe them as best you can, but don't hit Thea or Jules." Bianca instructed. Marley grinned. A plan was starting to form in his mind. Thea and Julian both sprang into the air. Wind gusted across the bust intersection. The Mist must have been working over time because none of the New Yorkers bothered to look up at the two flying kids.

"Belle, we're going to need an illusion over all of us," Marley called to the redhead.

"It's called a Glamour." Belle grumbled, but she closed her eyes all the same and concentrated, "What do you want the Gryphons to see?"

"Something that will throw them off long enough for us to escape. They can still smell us, so changing our appearances won't do much." Marley remarked. Belle nodded and grabbed Auden's hand.

"My eyes are going to be closed, Auden. I'm going to need you to walk me wherever I need to go. Got it?"

"You're asking the blind guy for navigation assistance? Not your wisest move ever, _Carrot Top_ , but okay."

"I can still decide to kill you," Belle growled, "Do you really think we can fight this many?"

More Gryphons had come swooping in over the skyscrapers, winging their way towards Belle and the others, making odd screeching sounds as they flew. Marley shook his head.

"Probably not. How many do you count, B?"

"Over a hundred, at least." Bianca estimated. Marley nodded.

"Okay. You and Coal, find somewhere nearby to open a hole in the ground, one that leads directly to Cobble Hill Tunnel." Bianca nodded and knelt down, pressing her hand to the cement. Marley turned to the only two remaining questers who didn't have a job, "Paris, Jamie… I don't know… Paris, defend Coal and Bianca. Jamie, defend Belle and Auden."

In the air, cold wind blasted Thea across the face as Julian back flipped through the air and then sprang forward on another air current. Thea had to admit, as she punched a Gryphon and allowed herself to fall a few feet, supported by a cushion of air, Julian was good at more than just sword fighting. He was excellent at manipulating the winds to his advantage. The only thing he seemed to fail at was throwing ice missiles at any Gryphons that came to close to the Questers on the ground. One almost hit Belle until Jamie knocked it out of the air with his staff.

Thea dropped and rolled across the sidewalk to Zari.

"I need your sword," She commanded. Zari squeezed off two more shots with her gun, making two of Gryphons in the swarm explode, and then she turned to Thea, pulled the sword from the keychain and tossed it to the Grace. Thea took a few experimental swings with the sword. She didn't like using swords, they tended to be bulky and heavy, but this one was well balanced. With a running start, she used the nearest car as a spring board (setting off the car alarm as she went) and was back in the air. She needed some way to dispatch the Gryphons. Her fists were less than effective.

The nearest Gryphon dived at her, sharp beak ready to stab her in the shoulder. There were so many of them. Thea reacted, swinging the sword with all of her might. The Gryphon dodged to the side, but a blast of wind from her hand sent it spiraling toward Julian's blade. He sliced and missed.

There was a shout from below.

Auden had been knocked flat by a Gryphon, taking Belle with him. The Gryphon had raised its beak, ready to bring it down on Auden's throat. It slumped, unconscious to the ground as Jamie hit it with the end of his staff.

"Katars, in my pocket. Kill it." Belle instructed. Jamie leaned over and fumbled around in the pocket of her jeans. He pulled out two paper clips and pulled them apart, like he'd seen Belle do. They elongated into her katars, and he brought one down on the Gryphon's neck, freeing Auden and creating a small eddy of yellow dust. Auden clambered to his feet and helped Belle up next to him, and was nearly bowled over again by a strong blast of wind.

Belle's eyes were shut tight as she concentrated on making it difficult for the Gryphons to pinpoint exactly where the Questers were. She must not have done a very good job if one of them have found Auden, Belle and Jamie. She pictured an image in her mind – the entire sidewalk being a blurry haze of color. An arrow whizzed past her head, missing her by inches, and sunk into another Gryphon who was dive-bombing them.

"Sorry!" A distressed and frazzled sounding Marley shouted.

"She says no problem!" Jamie shouted back when Belle said nothing. Her skin had gone whiter than usual. Even her freckles seemed to have paled of color. Her skin was icy and her lips a little blue. Her entire body shook from the effort of exerting that much energy.

"How is our escape route coming?" Auden asked over the screeching clamor of the Gryphons.

"More importantly, what are the mortals seeing?" Jamie mused. Not one of the New Yorkers had stopped to survey the battle that was happening right in front of them. They just strolled on as if everything was peachy. They certainly saw all the questers on the ground, but probably took them to be street youths and beggars, because they brushed past, shooting dirty looks as they went. The Gryphons didn't bother the New Yorkers for the most part, although that might have been because Marley and Zari sniped down any creature that came too close to a mortal.

"What I want them to see." Belle moaned, her eyebrows drawing together. She had abandoned just holding onto Auden's arm, she was now fully leaning against him.

"Seriously, _how is the escape route coming?_ I think Belle is going to pass out." Auden called again. Marley shot down another Gryphon, and then turned, looking for Bianca and Coal. They were a little ways down the sidewalk, both with their hands on the ground. Paris stood ready with Bianca's spear, though she looked as though she had no idea how to use it.

"Progress?" Marley yelled to the three girls.

"Here, I think. It's a long drop down though." Bianca called.

"Open up a tunnel anyway." Marley cried back, and then spun around to shoot another arrow.

Julian when whipping past them, moving as if he were on ice skates, ten Gryphons screeching and flying after him. Paris threw the spear at a low-flying one and nailed it in the chest. It exploded into gold powder and the spear clattered to the pavement in the middle of the intersection.

Looking torn, Paris darted out into traffic when the light turned red and scampered back to the curb. She was barely missed by a careening green sedan. Coal jumped up and grabbed Paris's wrist, pulling her to the safety of the sidewalk.

"If the monsters don't kill you, New York traffic will try its best." Coal joked.

"I can go help Belle." Zari suggested, but Marley shook his head.

"No, snipers are going to be more useful. She's got it covered for a few more seconds," _I hope._ Marley added in his head, glancing in Belle's direction. She looked like a ghost, as white as a sheet. She leaned against Auden, and he had turned his sword back into a walking stick so that he could keep her fully upright. Jamie prowled around them, fending off any flying foes he could with his staff. Still more Gryphons poured from the rooftops.

"Where are they all coming from?!" Julian shouted as he danced out of the way of one and touched down on the ground. He was out of breath. He had even broken a sweat. Perspiration glistened on his temples under his messy dark hair. He leaped into the air again seconds later, still panting.

"I have no clue!" Thea yelled back as she somersaulted through the air.

"Don't they like shiny things? Why are they attacking us if they're so fond of shiny stuff?" Julian mused. He slashed with his sword. The nearest Gryphon barely dodged out of the way in time. "We don't have anything shiny besides our weapons."

"Like I said, I have no clue! Brainstorm later, Ice Kid!" Thea screamed. A Gryphon had gotten a lucky hit. She barely managed to catch herself on the wind before she hit the ground. Still, she tumbled painfully across the sidewalk and came to a stop at Marley's feet. He offered her his hand. She took it and rose unsteadily to her feet, holding her ribs.

"Aha! We have an escape route." Bianca came jogging over to Marley, Thea and Zari, "The only down side is that it is a _long_ drop. Long enough to go splat at the bottom if we jump." Thea sighed and rolled her eyes.

"You are all idiots. Come here Bianca. Hold on. I'll drop you down." Bianca and Thea headed in the direction of the newly opened hole in the middle of the pavement. Several cars whizzed by it, but no one seemed to see it. Bianca grabbed Thea around the shoulders and then Thea jumped, disappearing into the darkness below. A few seconds later, she reemerged with a blast of stale air. She motioned for Coal to grab on, which Coal did, and the two of them jumped again.

"Aright, Paris and Auden next." Marley ordered. Auden passed Belle to Jamie, who held her upright like she weighed nothing. She was comically shorter than him – he was a foot and two inches taller than she. Julian had caught up with what they were doing. He swept over to Paris in a gust of wind, scooped her up bridal style and dropped down the hole after Thea with Auden. The two of them shot back up seconds later.

"Zari, you next." Marley nodded his head in the direction of the gaping darkness. Zari opened her mouth like she was going to argue, but then she seemed to decide better of it. She sprinted over to the gap, shooting down another Gryphon as she went. Julian picked her up and vanished into the darkness below.

"Jamie," Marley instructed. Jamie limped over with Belle and sat her down at Marley's feet. Marley felt a little guilty for pushing the limits of Belle's magic, but at the same time, Zari had been more useful sniping the Gryphons than assisting with the illusion – ahem, Glamour.

Thea vanished with Jamie, grunting a little under his weight.

Julian reappeared a second later. He picked up Belle, one arm under her knees, the other around her shoulders and hurried over to the hole. She didn't even open her eyes at his freezing hands, "As soon as I jump with her, her magic is going to give out and they'll be able to see you and will dive bomb you all at once." Julian reminded him. Grimly, Marley nodded and walked over to the hole in the sidewalk. A few cars rumbled past, their inhabitants blissfully unaware of the danger occurring right outside their windows. For a moment, Marley wished he could be in those cars instead on a quest. But then he shook that feeling. He was here to save his sister.

"Her magic is going to give out any second anyway. Go ahead." He said. Julian nodded, and then leaped through the hole that Bianca had opened and disappeared into the oppressive darkness, taking Belle with him. All of the Gryphons seemed to recover from whatever illusion Belle had used and zeroed in on Marley. He didn't have time to wait for Thea or Julian to return. He leaped into the hole.

The uncomfortable feeling of falling filled the pit of his stomach, making him sick. He was tumbling head over heels down a dark, stale-smelling tunnel, deeper and deeper into the earth. He would probably die if he hit any of the walls, he figured. Flashes of the above world could be seen, a small circle the size of a bouncy ball far above. Dark shapes flickered over the hole, preparing to dive in. He hadn't thought about that part. Fear sliced through his heart.

He was falling, he was going to die, and the Gryphons would get in and kill his companions. He would never save Vera, and in a fortnight, she would be dead too…Despair was a very accurate word for what he was feeling.

The next instant, a small, wiry body slammed into his. Wind whipped past him, surrounding him and his savior, slowing their fall. It was like they were supported on a cushion of air. Marley breathed a ragged sigh of relief.

"I've got you," Thea gasped in his ear. He wrapped his arms around her waist, holding on as she lowered them to the ground. The first Gryphon screech could be heard in their makeshift shaft far above, but Bianca raised both her hands. There was a loud _thud_ and a squawk, and dust rained from the ceiling.

Jamie was rummaging around in his backpack for a flashlight by the flickering multicolored light of Paris's hand. Julian was sitting on a slab of stone picking bits of dust out of his hair. Belle was laid against that same slab of stone, looking like a _lares_ from New Rome in the flickering rainbow light. Marley released Thea, knees shaking slightly.

"Thanks." He told her. She shrugged.

"No problem." She answered.

Marley made his way over to Belle. The tunnel was littered with rubble – bits of broken pieces of cement as large as a truck or as small as his palm, shattered glass bottle shards, crushed soda cans, paper wrappings of long molded food. It smelled old and musty in the tunnel, like the air hadn't moved in a long time. The remnants of an underground train line snaked through the dusty, destroyed rubble. A mass of twisted, rusted metal lines could be seen, as if someone had ripped them up. The atmosphere was more than a little creepy, but the darkness didn't bother Marley. He was the son of Nox, he could handle a little darkness.

It was the emptiness, the quietness, the loneliness that bothered him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, kneeling next to where Belle was slumped. She was still wearing Julian's jacket and shivering as if she needed it. Her eyes were squeezed shut and her brow furrowed. Marley shook her shoulder a little bit and asked again.

"She'll be fine," Paris glanced in their direction, "She just needs a minute. She expended too much magic over the last few days. Here, I've got the ambrosia somewhere in my pack. I can grab it once Jamie finds the flashlight."

"Aha!" At that moment, Jamie pulled a flashlight from his pack and flicked it on. Paris's multicolored light faded. The warm, yellowy light was a little less creepy, but it still didn't reach all the oozing shadows in the tunnel. Their voices bounced off the walls, echoing back to them.

"I hate caves," Bianca moaned. Coal shot her a quizzical look.

"Then why did you agree to help if you don't like being underground?" She asked. Bianca's face flushed in the dim lighting and she turned away from Coal slightly, crossing her arms.

"Any way I can help a quest, I will. Besides, I knew Vera. I want her back as much as any of you. That's worth a little underground time, don't you think?" She remarked defensively. Coal raised an eyebrow, and shot Zari, who was nearest, a look. Zari shrugged. In the light, they could see Bianca's blush.

"I'm going to be useless down here if we get attacked," Auden mused. Somehow he had found Belle and was sitting down next to her. Where she rested was one of the few places that it was safe to sit, free from glass shards and empty soda cans, "Too many echoes."

"Let's hope we don't. Rooster-Horses, snake people, dive-bombing evil pigeons, maniacal diner owners, Gryphons… We need to catch a break." Thea huffed. Paris had found the ambrosia and carried it over to Belle carefully. She handed the redhead a little square of ambrosia and Belle weakly popped it into her mouth. After a few minutes of chewing, she sighed and leaned her head back. Her body stopped shaking and she opened her eyes.

"I'm sorry about that." Marley sank to the ground on the side opposite Auden, "I thought that Zari would be more useful sniping the Gryphons than helping you, but-"

"We probably would have argued anyway, and not gotten anything done." Belle answered, a small smile appearing on her lips. Her eyes shifted slightly, from green to blue. If she had enough energy to Glamour her eyes, she was fine. If Julian had seen, she was certain he would have rolled his eyes, but what he thought was irrelevant.

So, Julian disliked her, Zari disliked her and Rodger Nicodemus from Camp disliked her, atop the monstrous heap of evil creatures that wanted her dead. Belle certainly wasn't the most popular Demigod, she mused.

She got to her feet. Paris was closing up her backpack and swinging it over her shoulder. The ten of them were getting ready to go. Belle tugged her pack over her own shoulders, holding onto the straps as she walked. The set off in one direction down the tunnel, following wherever Bianca and Coal led them. The two of them together made a pretty good navigator, Marley had figured. Julian fell into step beside her, and she rolled her eyes.

"What is it?" She demanded.

"You're heavy." He complained.

She rolled her eyes again and resisted the urge to slap him.

"I'm just saying, I had to fly you down here and you're heavy." He continued. Belle gave him a small shove, not feeling up to anything too strong. Her entire body felt weak and shaky. The ambrosia had helped a bit, and she wished she could have more without spontaneously combusting. But as it was, she couldn't. She was left feeling drained and a little hollow after using all that magic. Julian laughed – the first real laugh that she had ever heard him give. It was infectious, and gave her a warm feeling all over. Her father's laugh was like that. Feeling lightheaded and a little delirious, she laughed too.

"Are you two okay?" Zari had turned around, her face lined with concern for Julian. Jules shrugged carelessly.

"Sure, we're fine." He said, still grinning, "Just laughing."

The sound echoed off the walls, magnifying it and repeating it tens of times, but neither one cared.

A few minutes later, Bianca motioned for everyone to stop moving, and turned to Coal, "Can you feel it too?" She asked.

"I feel like my fingers just fell asleep, if that's what you mean." Coal responded. Bianca nodded.

"We're close. Follow the tingling."

"Follow the tingling? What's that supposed to mean? It doesn't _come_ from a specific direction," Coal sounded more amused then annoyed, but there was a slight edge in her voice. Bianca smiled.

"I know it sounds weird. When you move in one direction, it should get more intense. Like… over here…" Bianca took Coal by the arm and led her toward one of the walls. Jamie held up the flashlight to survey it.

The wall itself was made out of red brick, but it had long since been eroded away by time and graffiti. Mossy growth and grassy greenery grew all around and up and down its surface. A small trickle of water, wide enough to be classified as a creek, ran past its base.

"That's a pleasant message," Belle muttered, pointing at several graffiti words that would have made her father cover her eyes.

"Yeah," Julian promptly repeated the words out loud, "That about sums up what I was feeling when I was fighting the Gryphons."

"Thank you for that. I really needed to know." Belle replied, but her statement was a little less malicious than normal, more teasing. Julian's mouth curved in a smile.

"Happy to oblige." He answered.

Paris stepped over to Jamie and put her hand on his shoulder. He stiffened a little bit and glanced at her. She wasn't watching him, instead she was staring at Coal and Bianca, who were now directly in front of the wall.

"Somewhere around here…" Bianca was saying.

"Yeah, I feel it. It's like my whole arm just went numb." Coal exclaimed.

"Precisely." Bianca nodded. They walked up and down the wall, past where Marley and the others stood waiting several times. Finally, Bianca stood back and shook her head.

"It doesn't make any sense, it should be here. I can feel it but…" Bianca's face contorted in a frown and she shook her head once more, "I should be able to access the door, and if Coal helps, we should be able to open it. But we can't."

"Why won't it ἀνοίγω?" Coal demanded, stomping her foot and splashing some of the water around. As if the word in Greek had triggered a mechanism, the shadows all around the tunnel coalesced into one area, forming the outline of a door against the brick wall. Greek words, written by white light, scrolled across the door's outline.

Zari squinted, her lips moving. She shrugged, "Greek was never my forte." She said.

"But it's Coal's." Belle snapped her fingers, suddenly remembering Coal's first day at Camp. She had switched flawlessly between English and Greek when she was agitated. Coal looked mildly surprised and a little nervous.

"But I don't realize when I'm going it." She protested weakly.

"Come on, you're the only chance we've got. We need to get this open and none of us are great at Greek." Belle pleaded. Julian smirked.

"I'm absolutely dismal at it." He said. Belle smacked him.

"Ignore him, he's a Roman. Focus Coal. I always find it helps if I clear my mind." Belle instructed.

"Maybe we should let Coal do it on her own?" Zari challenged, looking a little annoyed, "After all, she's the one who can read it easily." Belle opened her mouth to retaliate, but Marley made a sound akin to an angry cat.

"Would you two just _cut it out_ for one minute? You have done nothing but disagree and bicker since we started this quest, and then this guy had to show up," Marley motioned emphatically to Julian, who looked offended at being demoted to 'this guy', "And now Belle's yelling at the two of you. Enough! I've had plenty of bickering for a lifetime in what, two days?"

His voice echoed off the walls and bounced back to their ears.

"Marley," Thea and Bianca exclaimed in unison, but Thea took a step back when she noticed Bianca moving to calm him down. Thea pressed her lips together, "Marley, you're stressed, we get it-" She began, but just then, Coal let out a gasp.

"It says: _Many have heard me, but nobody has seen me, and I will not speak back until spoken to. What am I?_ " She whirled around happily to face the other questers, "And then we just have to say the answer. I think. Maybe we have to say it in Greek. Who knows? But it's a riddle!"

Excitedly, Marley looked immediately to Bianca, "You were always good at riddles." He said.

"Sure, give me a sec-"

"An echo." Jamie blurted out. They all turned to stare at him incredulously. Even Paris's eyebrows had gone up in surprise.

"I never took you as a type who liked riddles, but…" Bianca trailed off, thinking through the riddle and what Jamie had said, "Coal, what were the exact words again?"

" _Many have heard me, but nobody has seen me, and I will not speak back until spoken to. What am I?_ " Coal repeated. After a long moment where Jamie impatiently shifted from foot to foot, Bianca nodded.

"I think he's right."

"I know I'm right." Jamie countered.

"How?" Paris frowned.

"Because, it's not exactly the most original riddle in the world. I've heard it before." Jamie said, "Uh, Coal, what's the Greek word for echo?"

Coal frowned and started repeating the word 'echo' over and over again until her pronunciation suddenly changed and she said something that sounded akin to _iycho._ The shadows outlining the door swirled and shifted once more, coming together into a dark, murky spiral at the center of where the door outline used to be. Marley forged valiantly ahead, marching right up to the portal.

"Who knows how long this will stay open," he said, "So we'd better get a move on."

"Right. Let's go, everyone." Thea clapped her hands together, and started guiding Auden toward the swirling darkness.

Marley stepped back and watched the two of them disappear through, Thea saluting Julian as she went. Jamie went next, taking Paris by the arm and leading her up to the shadowy gate. They leaped through and vanished in a puff of dark smoke.

"Hey, good luck on your quest, Marley," Bianca smiled. She pulled him into a tight hug and then released him, holding him at arm's length, "Go get Vera and bring her home."

"Yes ma'am." Marley said.

"Are you sure you guys can find a way out of here?" Belle asked, peering up and down the darkness of Cobble Hill Tunnel. Bianca smile became a little more forced.

"Yes. Positive. If all else fails, I'll open a crack in the ceiling and Julian will fly us out and back to Camp." She stated.

Belle nodded, "I really need to invent some sort of gateway that can help you get places quickly. Like a magical pathway that links two things together." She mused.

The dark portal flickered ominously, "You'd better hurry." Julian chided. He raised an eyebrow at Belle. "I'm sure you wouldn't want to miss all the bones that are down there," He teased. Belle spluttered.

"How did you know about that?" She hissed.

"Rodger Nicodemus isn't picky about who he tells when it comes to your phobias, Shorty." He poked her shoulder gently. Belle made a disgusted noise and marched over to the portal.

"Good riddance, _Jules!_ " She yelled over her shoulder. Marley gritted his teeth.

"Do you need a leg up to get through the gate?" Julian chuckled. Belle made a rude gesture over her shoulder, took a running start, and leaped through the portal, disappearing from sight. Julian smirked after her, "She's so easy to irritate."

"Is that why you do it?" Marley asked the Son of the North Wind. Julian wiggled his eyebrows.

" _Is it?_ " He countered.

"We need to hurry up!" Zari chided them.

"Right. Bye, B. See you back at Camp." Marley took a step toward the writhing nest of shadows. Zari had already leaped through, leaving Coal and him behind with Julian and Bianca. Bianca pressed her lips together tightly.

"Hey, Marley, when you get back, you owe me one, okay? How about dinner sometime?" She asked. Marley looked from the portal to Bianca and then back.

"How about lunch?" He countered. Bianca smiled.

"Okay. It's a date." She whispered. Then, taking Coal's hand, Marley waved goodbye one last time to Julian and Bianca and leaped through the pressing shadows. The world squeezed tightly around him and suddenly he was spinning like he was in one of those twirling office chairs. Around and around and around he whipped, the only substantial thing in this dark world being Coal's hand, which seemed to be glued to his. The darkness was so compressing that he could barely breathe, but a second later, he could. The darkness had shifted from black to grey. Fields of grey grass spread out before him, a hundred feet below. The rocky cliffs and the path that traced down it looked unsafe and more than a little unstable. Coal was standing next to him, still clutching his hand, and next to her stood the rest of the questers, staring out at the field in stunned awe.

"We made it," Zari breathed, "The Underworld."

 **Some Notes on the Chapter:**

 **There is only one note on this chapter and that is that I am very happy with the little subtle foreshadowing that no one will understand until we reach the next phase of the story! Mwahahahaha! Also, Marlianca is still sort of a thing. I ship it! They have more interactions, don't worry, if you are at all feeling like this is rushed. And remember, they did date before.**

 **Review Responses:**

 **Revenge77: Thanks so much! Hopefully this chapter was satisfying with seeing everyone fight. The problem with having so many characters in the same battle is some of them – like Coal and Bianca – don't really get a huge amount of screen time during those battles. This particular battle was supposed to focus on Thea, Marley, Julian and Jamie, and hopefully I did that well enough, while still including the others.**

 **Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the chapter. As always, predications, feedback and comments are welcome. Hopefully the next chapter will be out soon.**

 **PR**


	20. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

In Which The Questers Arrive in the Underworld

 _Here is what I know about the Underworld. Time there is… messy, and timing… shall we say… delicate? Everything is a little bit different, a little bit warped, a little bit odd. I really hate the idea of going down into the Underworld, where there are all those skeletons who could rise up and kill me. Oh, don't act as if you wouldn't be terrified too!_

Belle opened her eyes.

She was standing on an almost sheer rock face with, her feet on a tiny ledge. Her back was pressed against the rough rock behind her. Next to her, the questers were standing in a line, sucking in their stomachs and leaning back to avoid falling to their death.

Below them, a great, grey field spread out, reaching as far as the eye could see – the Underworld. Coal announced the name, her voice shaking ever so slightly. In the distance, they could hear pained screams and wailing. The rocks beneath them cracked and crumbled, sending scurries of pebbles bouncing down the cliff face. The steep hill below the cliff reminded Belle a bit of one of the volcanic craters that she had visited once with her father – Kerid Crater Lake in Iceland. She had begged him to stay in the hotel that day. It had been freezing, but he had insisted on going. So, they had bundled up in their coats, scarves, gloves and hats and taken the drive out to Kerid Crater. It had been definitely worth it, even if Belle had come back with a chill.

"What's that place, up ahead of us?" She heard Paris ask.

"The Mourning Fields," Coal blurted out, "Don't ask me how I know that. I just do."

"It's a Daughter of Hades thing," Marley explained, "For me, being a Son of Nox, I'm comfortable in the dark, and can control it. For you, you understand and know the Underworld, even if you've never been here."

"That's not creepy at all." Coal muttered under her breath.

"Guys, we need to move." It was Thea. She stood at the end of the line, eying the treacherous cliffs suspiciously.

"Thea's right. This cliff doesn't feel stable," Coal pressed her fingers to the stone wall, "My arm feels like it's being poked by needles," She groaned, "I wish Bianca was still here. She was so very helpful when it came to understanding my powers."

With a gust of wind, Thea pushed off from the cliff, dragging Auden with her.

"I'll lower you down one by one." Thea called back up to them. Her voice echoed off the stone walls. Belle sagged in relief – she was battered and bruised from her fight with Almops, Helle and Paeon. She had not been looking forward to scaling down the cliff. Her mind wandered back to Julian and Bianca, navigating through Cobble Hill Tunnel. She hoped they would be okay – no, she hoped Bianca would be okay. Julian was just there because he had to be.

"We'd better hurry. Timing in the Underworld can be… messy." Jamie said. He was standing right next to Belle, his hand pressing her wrist into the stone wall. On his other side, Paris was holding onto his and Zari's arms. When Belle had jumped through, her momentum had almost carried her straight over the edge of the cliff and down to her death. Jamie had thrown caution to the wind and grabbed her arm. He had nearly slipped too, but in the end, the two of them had stayed on the narrow ledge.

"It's not a good a day unless you almost fall to your death." Jamie joked nervously.

Thea darted back up and took Zari next. From that point on, it became a matter of ferrying the questers down from the ledge onto a large pile of rocks below. By the time Thea reached Coal, she was out of breath. She carried the daughter of Hades down, then glanced back up at Marley.

"Do you have one more in you?" Zari asked, looking a little worried.

"Of course," Thea snapped, "I always have more energy."

The flight up to Marley was wobbly, at best. The wind cushion around her that permitted her to fly gave out at several points and she found herself falling several times before she managed to summon enough energy to save herself. Below her, the rest of the questers watched apprehensively. She didn't dare look down, but she was certain that Belle was pulling out her eyelashes.

As soon as she was within arm's reach of Marley, he reached out and tugged her into his embrace, trying to steady her. Her face felt sticky with sweat, and she was sure she smelled like burnt fryer oil and stale tunnel.

"I've got you." Marley whispered.

"Thanks, I feel so much safer now." Thea drawled in his ear.

"I'm just returning a favor." He grumbled.

"Is she okay?" Zari shouted up to them. "Will you be able to get down?"

"I'll be fine," Thea squeezed her eyes shut for a moment, feeling dazed and a little disoriented, "I just used my powers way too much in the last twenty-four hours."

"We can have Paris grab you some nectar once you're down here." Zari cried. Her voice bounced off the stone in an eerie echo.

"Are you ready?" Thea asked Marley.

"Are you?" He countered.

"Ah… no. Give me a minute." She stood there for a moment, trying to gather her will and energy together for one last flight. It felt like trying to swim while carrying a dumbbell strapped to your back. Nothing seemed as impossible right in that moment.

"Come on Chrysanthea," Marley rubbed her back, "You can do it."

"I know I can do it, thank you very much, I just need a moment to collect myself." She lashed out. After a long moment, wherein Marley continued to rub her back soothingly, she wrapped her arms tightly around him.

"Are you ready?" She repeated. He shrugged.

"If you-aaaarrrh!" Thea had not waited to hear his response. She had leaped from the edge of the cliff and down toward the other questers. Air whipped around them, forming a cyclone of wind to support them as they descended. This flight was unsteady and painfully slow. Thea was terrified that she would overshoot the landing if she moved to fast. She could feel her energy fading even as she reached the halfway point.

 _If you just dropped him, if would be easier,_ a tiny voice whispered in her ear. Thea almost _did_ drop Marley at that point, out of shock. She had heard little whispered suggestions before – like when she had been looking at the cages at the Central Park Zoo – but this was the first real suggestion that they had heard. She felt oddly compelled to follow the statement. She felt her grip loosen.

"Thea?!" Marley's strained, panicked voice reached his ears. She blanched, and held on tighter.

Around the three-quarter's mark down the cliff, the last of her strength faded. The wind around them petered out and suddenly they were falling. It was only ten feet, but it still hurt when they hit the rocky ground. Groaning, Marley sat up.

"Ow. Let's never do that again." He told his second-in-command as he rubbed his shoulder. Thea mumbled something incoherent, lifted her head a little, and then dropped it back on the stone.

"No," She agreed, "Let's not."

Paris went about fetching the nectar from her pack and fed a little bit to each of them. The small cuts that Marley had sustained on his palms when he had fallen closed, the skin knitting itself back together. A little bit of color returned to Thea's cheeks.

Paris and Zari helped Thea up, and Jamie hauled Marley to his feet. Belle was small enough to be crutch-sized for Thea, so she moved over to support the middle Grace daughter as they walked. Auden joined her side, his walking stick tapping the uneven ground, talking in a soft voice with Belle as they walked. The loose gravel slid under their feet as they started down the slope, the cliff behind them riding ominously. Thea looked back.

"The mere existence of that cliff is mocking me." She groaned.

"Sure you didn't hit your head?" Belle frowned, looking up worriedly at Thea.

"Yes, quite sure. Ow. I hurt all over. Can I have more nectar?" She asked.

"Um… no. Not unless you want to burn to a crisp," Paris caught up with them, a little breathless, "I can give you more tonight," She looked up at the grey, rocky ceiling far above her, "Or when we stop for a rest."

"Then let's stop for a rest." Thea grumbled.

"We should keep moving." Marley disagreed.

The walk was long, and the slope was steep, but none of them offered to stop again, especially since Marley looked so determined. He was so close to his sister now. It seemed that after everything he had been through, he couldn't wait another day. He had to find Thanatos, and then Thanatos could show them where Vera was. She was so close… so close…

His excitement and eagerness kept him going long after the other questers began to lag. Belle was the first to stumble, and Auden managed to catch her elbow, by some miracle, but it wasn't long before Zari tripped and nearly took a tumble down the shale-covered hill. They were so close to the bottom now. The Mourning Fields spread out before them, grey and devoid of anything _living._ Now that they were closer, they could see the soft glow of the souls that resided there, some milling about aimlessly, others sitting under prickly dark olive trees.

Paris slipped on some loose rocks and fell.

For a moment, she lay still, sprawled on the ground, her ankle twisted at an unnatural angle. She pushed herself into a sitting position, sucking in a breath as she did so. Her hand moved to her ankle, holding onto it, her face scrunched up.

"Are you okay?" Belle passed Thea off to Zari, who grunted a little but made no other argument, and rushed to Paris's side, kneeling down.

"Fine," Paris's voice was tight, "I think I just twisted my ankle a bit. Give me a second."

"I'll grab the ambrosia." Belle reached into her pack to rummage around for the squares of godly food. She brought a little plastic baggie out and cracked it open, breaking off a piece of ambrosia and passing it to Paris, who swallowed it.

"Marley!" Jamie shouted to their leader, who was walking in the front of group, blazing the trail. Marley halted and turned back, looking a little surprised when he saw Paris on the ground.

"What are you doing? I didn't say we were stopping." Marley started back up the hill toward them, sending little showers of pebbles down under each of his sneakers. Jamie glared pointedly at their leader.

"Sorry that she fell and twisted her ankle. Maybe if we weren't walking at such a break-neck pace, she wouldn't have tripped." He glowered.

"Maybe if you were walking faster, we would be on the Mourning Fields already." Marley retorted heatedly. Jamie and Belle exchanged glances. The rest of the questers fell oddly silent, their gazes flicking between Jamie and Marley, except for Auden, who was staring at a point somewhere to the left to Coal's head.

"It's okay, Jamie," Paris slurred weakly, "I'm fine. I can walk."

To prove it, she offered her hands to Belle, who pulled the older girl to her feet. Paris swayed on her feet and tried to put her weight on her twisted ankle. Her knee buckled as soon as she did, and Jamie grabbed her under her arms to keep her steady.

"We need to keep moving," Marley said warningly, "Who knows what terrors might start chasing us in the Underworld. I will not be defeated by demons before I reach my sister. Let's go." Without another word, he turned on his heel and marched toward the Mourning Fields. Belle's nostrils flared.

"Marley Jameson you get back here right now and say we can rest!" She cried, skidding and sliding down the loose earth after the Son of Nox.

"He just wants to find his sister. You can't blame him. We would all do the same," Paris said in a quiet voice, sinking to the ground again, "I know I would give up everything for my family."

She met Jamie's gaze steadily.

"If you could save him, would you have? Would you have pushed him out of the way instead?" Jamie asked in a quiet voice, so that only she could hear him. She wet her lips. There was no moment of hesitation, no fear, no anxiety in her words.

"Yes. Without a doubt." She answered.

"But then none of us would have met you." He protested.

Paris sighed, and shook her head. "You don't get it. You probably never will. Losing Maddox was worse than losing just a sibling. He was my twin brother. He was always there for me, even when my father drank too much or worked too much… It was like losing my other half. There's this empty hole in my chest. It's never filled back up. I don't think it ever can be refilled. Marley is… in pain. He tries not to let us see. I think I might be the only one who realizes it. He will do anything to save Vera's life."

Jamie regarded her – the soft lines of her face, the sparkle in her eye, the curve of her lips as they smiled, "You always see the best in people. I don't think your heart will ever run out of room for kindness," He answered, "But that doesn't excuse the fact that he won't even give us a rest."

Paris smiled, and shook her head. "That was very poetic, but Jamie, you can't keep the ground from shaking. What you _can_ do is the question. You can face the challenges in your life head-on and never give up."

"I don't even know what that means," Jamie chuckled. He knelt down, and turned his back to her, "Climb on. I'll carry you."

"Oh! No, you don't have to," Paris shook her head, eyes wide, "It would slow you down."

"Come on, Paris. I can take it. I'm just going to squat here until you get on." He looked over his shoulder to grin at her. Paris rolled her eyes in an over-exaggerated, joking fashion, and then clambered awkwardly onto his back. Her arms encircled his neck, and his gripped the underside of her legs, just above her knees. He stood up, a little unsteady of the loose ground, but after a few wobbly steps, he managed to get his balance. He could hear Paris giggling lightly in his ear. Together, they stumped down the hill to catch up with the other questers.

The emerged onto the Mourning Fields, and the ground became grassy and flat, for which Jamie was relieved. Paris rested her forehead against his shoulder and her breathing became steady and slow, like she had fallen asleep. He could feel his own exhaustion building, but being this close to Paris made his skin buzz. He could hear his heart pounding much faster than it should have with this proximity to his longtime crush. Up until this point, he had tried to keep the fact that he liked Paris as more than friends carefully concealed. Sure, he had said some things that could have tipped her off, but she seemed pretty oblivious to his feelings.

Coal joined them, at the back of the travelling companions.

"How is she?" The younger girl asked.

"She's going alright. I think she's asleep." Jamie responded.

"Mmm." Paris breathed against his neck.

"I stand corrected." Jamie amended his words. Her breath disturbed the hair near his ear, tickling the side of his neck. He sincerely hoped that she couldn't feel how fast his heart was moving.

"She saved my life," Coal mused, "When we were running away from the zoo. I suppose I owe her one."

"All of us owe her something. She's saved all of our lives, sometimes more than once. It's pretty lucky Marley chose her as a companion."

Coal hummed her agreement.

"She's pretty amazing." He added after a long pause.

He felt her cheek twitch in what might have been a small, shy smile.

"Yeah. Makes me wonder if I should be a medic instead of a fighter." Coal shrugged.

"You should be whatever you want to be. If you're more comfortable fighting, then fight. There's no shame in that. You can save lives on a battlefield without having to be a healer." Paris's voice was quiet and a little hoarse, muffled against Jamie's shoulder.

"I suppose." Coal fell silent after that.

They began to pass scraggly little dark trees with spirits residing beneath them, staring with haunted eyes forlornly out into the distance, not seeing the living beings walk straight past them. Jamie wondered if the girl he was carrying might end up in this place after years of longing for her brother. He wondered if Maddox was there now, among the swirling, near faceless creatures. Maybe, for saving his sister's life, he had ended up in Elysium.

"It's funny. A few days ago, I could never have dreamed this up, but here I am, on a quest with seven people a hardly know, and I care about all of them. If Paris, or anyone else for that matter, were to die…" Coal shrugged, "I dunno. It's just odd."

"Yeah," Jamie agreed vacantly, his mind on the night under the New York sky when Paris had told him about her brother. It felt like an eternity ago, even though it was really only the night before. It was hard to remember the look of the starlit sky, or clouds skidding across bright blue, or green grass, even after being in the Underworld for such a short time. He wondered if it was like that for everyone, or simply because he was the son of Thanatos, and the Underworld called him.

He shifted his grip on Paris, adjusting her on his back.

If they got back to Camp – _when they got back to Camp,_ he inwardly corrected himself – he would ask Paris on a real date, to a diner that was not run by evil monsters. And if she said yes, then he would ask her for another. And another. And then… _then_ they would have the whole summer together. Images of playing Capture the Flag together and picking strawberries flashed through his mind.

He smiled.

At least he had something to look forward to.

He felt… guilty. He had no business thinking about having a crush on Paris, or what they might be when they got back to Camp. This was a quest, and it was what he needed to focus on now. Not a possible future relationship with someone. There wasn't even a guarantee that both of them would make it back.

Still, he could hope.

 _Hope_ kept the world spinning.

 _Hope_ kept him breathing.

There was always hope.

.o0O0o.

Paris was given first watch, since she had managed to rest on the walk, when they finally stopped to set up camp. Marley was walking as if he knew where he was going, following his instinct, it seemed. Coal would dart to catch up with him and help change direction if they were veering off-course. She had half-expected Marley to want to keep walking until they reached Thanatos, but eventually, he had called a halt. Jamie had set Paris down and she had given Thea and herself a little more ambrosia for their injuries.

The other seven had settled down to sleep, while Paris stayed awake, staring out through the semi-darkness, at the light of the spirits as they drifted aimlessly over the landscape. Marley had decided to camp under the cover of a rough, pointy olive tree, so now Paris leaned against it, watching.

Keeping watch was remarkably boring. She had nothing to distract her from her mind wandering to Maddox and the day he had died. Ker. The Keres. The day she had met her mother, and her mother's assistant. The day was as fresh in her mind as if it had happened yesterday. Maybe Maddox was one of these souls, doomed to meander about this bleak landscape forever, she mused. Not that he would remember her if she ever found him.

"Hey," It was Jamie. He was sitting up from where he was supposed to be sleeping, rubbing his eyes and yawning. He pointed to the ground next to Paris, "That seat taken?"

"Nope." Paris replied, scooting over and patting the ground next to her. He crawled sleepily over the grass and plopped into the spot next to her.

"Sleeping here is weird. Usually I don't dream, but…" Jamie shrugged.

"This _place_ is weird." Paris corrected him.

"I can feel death everywhere," Jamie admitted, "All of the souls, every rock, every blade of grass… it all screams _death._ I never thought I would be in a place like this until I died."

"You'd better not die on me anytime soon. I've just started trusting you." Paris answered.

Jamie grunted noncommittally, "No promises." He grinned at her.

His shoulder was barely brushing hers. She could feel body heat radiating off of him – another thing that made him alive in this bleak landscape. She reached and curled her fingers around his, hoping to absorb some life. He – and all the other questers – were here, and they were alive. Jamie stiffened next to her at the touch. She thought she saw his cheeks tinge a little pink, but it was hard to tell in the lowlight.

She did not resent Marley for his push to get where they were going. She thought it was quite admirable that he wanted to get his sister back so badly. She understood it. She didn't necessarily endorse it, but she understood it. Failure now, now that they were so close, was not an option. If she had been more familiar with the Underworld, if she had been a Daughter of Hades instead of a Daughter of Iris, she would have long ago gone searching for Maddox.

"I think that when you die, you'll make it to Elysium, maybe even the Isles of the Blest. Asphodel is not nearly good enough for heroes like you." She murmured.

"You never know. Maybe I'll be cast down in Tartarus." Jamie quipped. Paris shoved him gently.

"Don't say those kinds of things. You never know who might be listening." She hissed.

"The only person I see listening is you." Jamie replied. He looked at her for a long moment, in which she started to feel her cheeks flush red. He seemed to be struggling to say something.

"What?" Paris asked, her eyebrows coming together.

"I've thought of an answer to your question. Why am I a fighter…? I-"

"When did you do that?" Paris frowned.

Jamie laughed and shook his head, "It was a _long_ walk."

"So what is your answer to my question? Why _are_ you a fighter?" Paris leaned forward toward him a little.

"I'm not," He hesitated for a moment, before continuing on, "I think I might be more of a lover than a fighter, but I'm going to fight for the things – and people – that I love."

For some odd reason, Paris's heart sped up a little.

"Sounds very poetic." Her voice was having a hard time getting out of her throat. Her breath froze in her lungs, constricting her windpipe. She stared up at Jamie with her mouth a little bit open, and for no apparent reason whatsoever, he looked very stunning. His hair was matted and messy, with bits of monster dust and dirt stuck in it. His eyes were shadowed from lack of sleep. Being too young to actually have to ability to grow a beard, he just had a scruffy _I-Haven't-Shaved-In-Two-Days_ look. He grinned. One of his canine teeth was slightly crooked, Paris noticed.

She noticed then how close they were sitting, almost nose to nose, and hastily looked away. He had probably been able to smell her breath, and she hadn't brushed her teeth since that morning. The hotel seemed a lifetime ago.

"It's not bad, not being a fighter, you know." She said, staring down at her small hands, which she had pulled into her lap. She stiffened the next moment, because Jamie had put his arm across her shoulders and pulled her up to his chest. She leaned her head back so she was staring up at him, eyes wide.

"Y-you're subtle." There was a slight shake in her voice.

"And you like it." He grinned, his cheeks definitely glowing red in the light.

"I object to that statement." She argued.

"Noted. Would you hold still though? I'm trying to hug you." He snorted.

"This is a long hug." She countered.

"And are you complaining?" He raised his eyebrows at her.

"N-no." She stumbled.

He hugged her tighter, putting both arms around her and resting his head atop hers, listening to the almost deafening silence of the Underworld. This place was lonely and filled with death, but in the moment, he had never felt quite so alive. He lifted his head, looked down at her, eyes wide, unsure but certain at the same time.

Paris stared back.

She blinked owlishly, looking a little bewildered and a little eager and a little afraid.

At this angle, her hair had fallen away from her cheek. He could see the scars around her eye, the pale blindness of it. There were a million and one reasons not to, a million and one things to tell himself so he could control his impulses.

 _We're on a quest._

 _Now's not the right time._

 _We are literally sitting in the Underworld._

 _Her dead brother could walk by any moment._

 _She might not like it._

 _She might freak out._

 _She probably_ will _freak out._

 _Another quester might wake up and see us._

 _Monsters could spontaneously appear an attack._

But all of the excuses were futile.

He brought his hand up from her elbow. Cradled her cheek. Lowered his head.

He kissed her.

There wasn't a before really, just a sudden, abrupt motion. A flurry of movement and then… warmth. Softness, gentleness. And it was good. He could have never imagined that kissing her was this _good._ The action seemed rushed and crazy and impulsive, but it also seemed so right that Jamie couldn't stop if he wanted to.

And he didn't want to.

For Paris, reading romance books and watching Rom-Coms as a child before the fire had given her a picture of what a first kiss should be. Something romantic, on a dance floor, with a waltz playing in the background. Or in the middle of a crowded building after someone declared their love for you.

She had never imagined a first kiss while sitting under a spiky black olive tree in the Underworld with a mildly sprained ankle, exhausted and covered in so much grime and sweat that she was probably unrecognizable. But somehow, this was better than all of the things that she had expected it to be, because Jamie was here, holding onto her, and he was kissing her gently.

It was, Paris thought, the most perfect moment of her life.

.o0O0o.

Belle was dreaming. Dreaming of a vicious battle between two sides. They fought with swords and spears as though their lives depended on it, which they probably did. A man stood in the center of the battle, a man she had seen before in dreams.

 _Amphiaraus._

The name escaped her lips, but he did not seem to hear her. The clamor of the battle must have drowned out her voice.

"Retreat! Retreat!" Amphiaraus called, but then another man in heavy armor charged toward her, swinging his sword. The ground cracked and opened like the maw of a great beast. The ground swallowed up Amphiaraus, dragged him under the earth. He disappeared before the other man in armor had even finished his strike.

The world shifted into a blur of color. Now, Belle was in a classroom, looking at a girl with silvery blonde hair tipped with blue, scrawling something on a piece of paper. She passed it to the boy next to her, who grinned at her in a dopey way.

Again, the scene blurred, and now Belle was sitting crisscross applesauce in the Hecate Cabin, leaning over a book. Julian sat across from her, eyebrows pinched together in a frown.

The next series of images came so fast that it was impossible to make sense of any of them. Briefly, Belle saw Rachel Elizabeth Dare, the resident Oracle of Camp Half Blood, trip and stumble, landing in the grass. A plate of food. A cup of dark red liquid. A fox bounding across the sky. A necklace made of stars. A shadowed face. A falling crown. A hand, reaching out of the darkness, taking hold of her wrist and tugging at her. A chessboard, where the queen was moving slowly toward the enemy lines, ready to attack.

Everything dissolved, and suddenly she was standing in a shady copse of trees. A woman, tall with long ebony hair tumbling across her shoulders and skin as pale as snow was strolling, her bare feet sinking into the moss. She wore a rich, dark green sleeveless gown stitched with silver designs like runes against the fabric that shifted and shimmered across the silk. She looked up at Belle, surprised to see her, her black eyes hard and cold.

Belle knew exactly who she was.

"Hey… Mom." She stuttered.

An aura radiated off of her, one of powerful magic that Belle couldn't quite see, but could feel. Her skin crawled with the feeling of the Mist curling across her hands and face – any bit of exposed skin it could reach. A black Labrador sat at attention near one of the trees, and a polecat slunk around the copse, leering at Belle.

"Good day, Arabelle Felicity Arakataran." Hecate said.

Belle's blood pounded in her ears, thrumming against her chest. What did she want?

"Why are you here?" Belle demanded.

"Why am I here? Hmm… you tell me. You seem to have called me to this place. Wherever this place is…" The goddess looked around distastefully at the trees. Belle winced, peering around. She recognized the place – when her father had been in Norway six or seven years ago, for one of his book signings, she had wandered around in a forest near the hotel and found the little copse of trees. She had hidden there with a book, stayed there for hours. No one had known where she had gone.

"How could I have called you here?" Belle pressed.

Hecate's bare shoulders bobbed in a shrug.

"You tell me." She said.

"Because I'm your daughter?" The redhead suggested.

"No, that is not the answer, although that does remind me." Hecate turned on the spot. Suddenly, her dark hair was turning auburn, her eyes shifting from black to a pale, minty green. Her nose shrank and became more of the button shape that greeted Belle whenever she looked in the mirror. When Hecate had turned back around, Belle was looking at a woman who looked almost exactly like her except for the lack of heterochromia.

Belle felt the Glamour that she usually kept about her eyes fade.

"Why blue? Green suits your so much better, my dear." Hecate inquired, lowering her hands to her side.

"I like my eyes blue." Belle snapped. Hecate made a small humming noise, as if she disapproved.

"So why are we here?" She asked.

"I don't know. I'm trying to get a straight answer out of you." Belle hissed in irritation.

"Oh… you should probably know by now, goddesses do not give straight answers. But I can tell you that I felt your call from Olympus and came to join you. Perhaps you would like to learn something enlightening about your nature? How you are not truly a-"

The polecat hissed and the dog barked loudly, cutting off the goddess. She froze, and looked at them each in turn, clearly annoyed, but she did not continue.

"No, I won't tell you that particular bit of information. _Yet._ But the time will come when you must learn about your ancestry. Until then, I think I should leave you with a warning. Perhaps that is why your sleeping mind called out to me." Hecate mused.

"And what _is_ that warning?" Belle asked tiredly.

"There are two, in reality. The first is to be wary of false knowledge. Often people believe what they want to, when they see something that they want. The twisting of truth is more dangerous than ignorance. You will understand someday." Hecate said in a quiet voice.

"And the second?" Belle asked, not even bothering to puzzle out what the first warning meant.

"There are rules for quests, Arabelle. Only three are supposed to go on a quest, and only _three_ will return." Hecate whispered.

Belle froze, her chest constricting.

"Are you saying-" She began.

Belle jolted awake.

She was on the dark, rough grass of the Underworld, her head resting on her backpack as a pillow. All around her, the questers were resting, while Paris was keeping watch. No one else stirred. Her heart pounded violently against her ribs, a drum beat that she could hear in her ears. She felt as if her heart was trying to escape her chest and flee the death-filled place.

Only three would return.

She remembered how Paul used to tell her a story – his father Percy had once left on a quest with five people. One was lost in the land without rain. Another was sent back to camp to protect a beast that could have been the Olympians downfall. A third was killed in the final battle, when they had rescued Percy's wife Annabeth. So, the remaining three had returned. Only _three._

She crawled over to Paris and sat down next to her. The Daughter of Iris was staring up at the darkness above them, her eyes searching as if she was looking for stars, a tiny smile playing at her lips.

"Hey." Belle said.

"Hi." Paris answered.

There was a long silence. Belle wasn't sure whether she should tell Paris about her dream or not. She opened her mouth to speak, but it was Paris who said something first.

"Jamie kissed me." She blurted out.

Belle choked.

" _What_? When?"

"We were sitting and talking, and then he put his arms around me, and then we were kissing and I still don't know how it happened." Paris looked down, her face doing a startlingly accurate impersonation of a tomato.

"And what _happened?_ " Belle breathed, shocked.

"What do you mean 'what happened'? He kissed me, and then asked me to go out with him when we got back to Camp."

"And what did you say?" Belle pressed.

Paris covered her face with her hands.

"Yes, of course. You don't say no after someone kisses you. Especially not when it's your first-" She stopped short, and if possible, her face became even redder, "Never mind."

"Your first kiss?" Belle finished.

Numbly, Paris nodded.

"How do normal people deal with this kind of thing?" She asked.

"We're not normal, so we don't have to deal with it the same," Belle dismissed the notion, "It's okay to admit that was your first kiss. If it makes you feel better, I've never been kissed either. It doesn't bother me though."

"Why not?" Paris asked, bringing her knees to her chest and resting her chin there.

Belle shrugged. "I have standards that no one meets. My dad made a couple of mistakes in his life, but they led him to meeting Hecate. He thought it was true love, and then, one day, I got dumped on him over a fast food counter. He was crushed. He only ever recovered after he married my step-mom, Lilah. I guess… I guess I don't want that to happen to me. If a broken heart is really that painful…" Belle shrugged, "It's probably terribly illogical." She snorted.

Paris shook her head, "I understand why." She said in her soft voice.

"But the point is, Jamie meets every single standard that I can think of. He's sweet, he's funny, he really likes you, and he's not bad looking either. Don't hesitate on this one. This'll be good for you. You'll have fun." She patted her friend's shoulder.

"I – I never noticed him before he saved my life from the fire only a couple of days ago. We only really had passing conversations. And now… It's hard to imagine my life without him or any of you. I wish…" She squeezed her eyes shut, wrinkling her forehead, "I wish that we'd never been sent on this quest, that Vera was never kidnapped. Then, we could be sitting in a Cabin at Camp, giggling like little girls about a first kiss."

"We can still giggle like little girls about it, just not too loud, or else we'll wake up the others." Belle said and Paris chuckled.

"Thanks, Belle." She leaned her head down to rest it against Belle's shoulder.

"So what happened after he asked you out?" Belle pried.

Paris shrugged. "He yawned, and I told him he needed sleep. He went to bed smiling. My heart feels funny, but in a good way. Everything seems so much brighter all of a sudden."

"It's easier to hope together." Belle observed. This time, Paris laughed loudly.

"You sound like me now," She said, "Always saying poetic and meaningful things."

" _Someone_ has to. I need to fill up my quota for cryptic visions and observations." She shrugged.

"So why are you awake?" Paris asked.

"Bad dream." Belle answered, bile rising in her throat. The scene of her mother was fresh in her mind, burning against her skull as if it was trying to escape. Only three would return. How could only three return? How could Belle choose who she wanted to return? She wanted all of them to be safe, all of them to be well – except maybe Zari, and even the animosity toward her half-sister was lessened slightly.

"Do you want something to help with that?" Paris frowned.

Belle shook her head.

"Nah. I'll take over watch. You get some sleep, Paris. Sleep tight, sweet dreams." She nudged the Daughter of Iris with her elbow. Paris gratefully crawled away from the tree and laid next to Jamie, her head resting on her arm.

"Thanks for talking to me. And for listening." Paris whispered.

"Your welcome." Belle answered. A few minutes later, Paris's breathing had slowed to gentle evenness. Belle tried to distract herself from her swirling, dark thoughts of only three questers returning. She shifted her thoughts to Paris and Jamie. She was happy for them. They could hope together, for a brighter future, where they could go to the mall and hang out with each other, like normal teenagers.

 _We're not normal,_ a voice said in Belle's mind.

 _But we don't have to be._ Belle answered back.

For the first time in a long time, a spark of hope caught fire and burned brightly in her chest. She hadn't realized she had lost it. It hadn't felt as if she were despairing, but now she felt it again, she realized that she had been. She had hope now, hope that they could survive this quest, no matter the odds. She would try to make sure that all eight of them came home, and Vera to boot.

Belle grinned up at the darkness that would have been the sky had they been outside the Underworld. She pretended that she could see stars up there, pinpricks of light, like diamonds sprinkled across the inky darkness of night.

 **Some Notes on the Chapter:**

 **Thea, like Belle in the last chapter, just overused her powers. It can happen to any of the demigods. For people like Auden, whose powers are a little less clearly defined and lean toward passive instead of active, it's a little different, but for Thea, Belle, Zari, Coal etc., it can happen pretty easily. Especially for the descendants, who have a mixture of powers from both parents.**

 **Marley desperately wants to see Vera again, and now he's so close, he doesn't want to stop. He's pushing himself and his friends a little too far, but his loyalty to his sister is overwhelming, which is one of the many elements of his character that I love. I personally love family ties and friendship ties in stories, because it adds a little bit extra to the story. Romance is great and all, but showing loyalty to one's friends and family is incredibly admirable. I also love the differences in the characters we have here – Zari's niceness but subtle manipulative-ness, Belle's fierceness but hotheadedness, Marley's loyalty to a fault, Thea's bravery but stupidity, Coal's quietness but reluctance, Auden's determination and humor but his disabilities (Emotional and physical), Jamie's humor, sweetness and warmth, Paris's kindness and naivety. Hopefully it's creating a nice blend of narrators. In later phases, we meet some of the other characters as narrators too – Amelia, Rhona, Jourdaine, David, Mia etc. And Cody Blaire. Cody Blaire makes a stunning and humorous return. That's one of my favorite things about writing – trying to capture the different feel and flavor of the different narrators. Belle is still one of my favorite to write because I'm probably the most comfortable with her, seeing as she has a mixture of me and several of my friends in her. It's easy to portray her as flawed and human. Well, I sincerely** _ **hope**_ **she's coming across as flawed and human, relatable. I hope they all are. Phew, end of rant.**

 **Paris still has dyslexia, like most Demigods, but for her it isn't as bad as it is for some of the others. She reads a lot as a result. Belle also reads quite a bit, but that is because in her time on her father's digs and such, she worked on overcoming her dyslexia. She also listens to books on tapes often.**

 **The kiss was originally planned for later, but as I was writing the scene, I was like "Whoa! This fits here!" It helps make sense of some of the stuff that happens later, and hopefully raises the stakes in a few chapters, when stuff happens (Obviously stuff happens in every chapter, but MORE INTENSE stuff happens in that particular chapter).**

 **There are more details about Hecate, and what she was going to say that will (hopefully) be important later. Foreshadowing!**

 **Also, the sequence of quickly shifting images in Belle's dream are also relevant to later. Let's see if anyone can piece them together. And who is the silvery haired chick? What importance does she hold to the plot? (Hint: She's definitely important to the next phase of the story).**

 **Belle and Paris's conversation is kind of based on me and some of my female friends. The goal was to remind the reader that they are friends, and they are pretty good friends at that. Hopefully it was just silly enough while still staying serious.**

 **Belle has, as we heard from Aphrodite earlier in the story, a bit of an anti-love thing going. More stuff happens related to this, and a certain boy considerably later (Cough, cough).**

 **On Belle's "despair": It wasn't as if she was actively depressed or caught in despair, it's just that everything that had happened to them on the quest had battered her and beaten her down. She's suddenly been exposed to the** _ **real**_ **demigod life – what they're training for at Camp. It's been pretty brutal for her and the other questers. Sometimes, something as normal as a first kiss can spark hope, and that was what did it for Belle. Yay, (hopefully) subtle character development!**

 **Zari is long overdue for some screen-time (Er, Page-time?). Hopefully, we get to see a pretty great team-up in the next chapter or two. I think the next few chapters will be pretty intense and plot-heavy, because we're almost in the home stretch. I calculated it out to maybe six more chapters depending on length in this phase of the story to round everything out. Then, we get into the next phase, which is (hopefully) pretty awesome.**

 **That's all the notes on this chapter, I think. I hope this chapter was worth the wait. Man, this was a dialogue and character-heavy chapter. I had a couple of headaches writing this, and some major deliberation to do. It was a little complicated to write too, but the next chapter should be a little more action-y. Hopefully. In theory, the pace will pick up again, and we won't get such a headachy chapter for a few more updates.**

 **On a different note! I would love some little one-shot prompts (Including which character/pairing you want it to be centric on) for my Percy Jackson Next Generation Characters and the OCs. It helps me get a little more in touch with writing the characters. I already have a couple that I have written down, but if I get enough, I'll probably publish an additional one-shot story with various characters (AUs and cannon). It helps me stay in the mood for writing the main story, so hopefully if I get some prompts to write about updates will come quicker.**

 **As always, reviews are greatly loved, and feedback is always welcomed.**

 **-PR**


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